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Senju-in
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Thousand-Armed Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県郡山市湖南町福良字寺前6164
Visiting Status Advance contact required (if you wish to view the statue)
GentlenessDepthStillness
A wooden standing Thousand-Armed Kannon is enshrined in the Kannon Hall of Senju-in, located in Fukura, Konan-machi, Koriyama City. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Fukushima Prefecture, the image is carved from a single block of unpainted wood and shows features of Kamakura-period Buddhist sculpture, including simplified carving on the back. According to temple tradition, in 1246 (Kangen 4), Kobo Daishi carved it from a sacred tree to save people from illness and hunger. On either side of the Kannon Hall stand the “Meoto Momi,” a pair of fir trees said to be about 400 years old. Advance contact is required for viewing, making this a Buddhist spot where visitors can encounter in person the Kannon devotion preserved in the mountain village of Konan.
Kanzeji Temple (Mt. Mayumi)
Buddhist Image Nyoirin Kanzeon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県二本松市安達ケ原4丁目126
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (9:00-16:00 / admission fee required)
MysteryDepthTense Presence
The principal image of Kanzeji Temple, known for the legend of the Adachigahara ogress, is Nyoirin Kanzeon Bosatsu. The temple's official information presents prayers to the principal image for protection from misfortune, health, household safety, prosperity in business, and other wishes. On the third Sunday of every April, the Kannon Festival is held to express gratitude to Kanzeon Bosatsu and pray for continued protection. The grounds contain a cave where the ogress is said to have lived and the "Pool of Blood," while nearby remains Kurozuka, said to be her grave. This distinctive sacred place brings together legend and Kannon devotion. It is normally open to visitors from 9:00 to 16:00 for a fee and welcomes tourists.
Tenkosan Mitsuzoin Kenshoji Temple (Numanouchi Benzaiten)
Buddhist Image Seiryu Eight-Armed Benzaiten Category Tenbu (Deva)
福島県いわき市平沼ノ内字代ノ下104
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled every year on January 1 and May 5)
MysteryNobilityDepth
At Kenshoji Temple in Taira Numanouchi, Iwaki City, the Benzaiten Hall enshrines the hidden image known as “Seiryu Eight-Armed Benzaiten.” According to the temple's official information, it is a painted wooden image of an eight-armed Benzaiten, and the Benzaiten Hall is said to have been founded by Tokuitsu Daishi in 807 (Daido 2). A tradition also tells that around 1157 (Hogen 2), Tokuni enshrined an image of a heavenly maiden, and the site has long attracted local devotion, including from fishermen. From 2026, the image is unveiled twice a year, on January 1 and May 5, with the Benzaiten Grand Festival held on May 5. Together with the waterside setting of Kashikonuma, it preserves an old tradition of Benzaiten worship with clearly defined public opening dates.
Fukushoji Temple (Tomioka Kannon)
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県大沼郡会津美里町冨川字冨岡27
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled every year on the evening of August 9 during the 48,000-Day Festival)
DignityDepthMystery
A wooden seated statue of Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu is enshrined in the Kannon Hall of Fukushoji Temple, the No. 26 temple of the Aizu Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage. Measuring 220.7 cm high and constructed using the joined-wood technique, it is said to be the largest seated Kannon image among the pilgrimage temples and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Aizumisato Town. The Kannon Hall itself is also an Important Cultural Property of Japan, preserving late-Muromachi Zen-style architecture. The principal image is usually hidden, but it is unveiled once a year on the evening of August 9 during the 48,000-Day Festival. This is a Buddhist spot where visitors can actually worship a monumental image representing Aizu Kannon devotion on its designated opening day.
Sakedachi Cliff-Carved Buddhist Images
Buddhist Image Group of cliff-carved Buddhist images centered on Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
福島県大沼郡金山町大字山入字石日山2692
Visiting Status Outdoor viewing available (except in winter / no parking)
PowerDepthMystery
A group of cliff-carved Buddhist images is carved into a cave behind the Sakedachi settlement in Yamairi, Kaneyama Town. On a rock wall about 5 m wide, 2 m high, and 1.5 m deep, 51 figures were carved in the late Edo period, of which 36 remain today due to weathering. Many depict Fudo Myoo. Tradition holds that, in response to the devastation caused by the Tenmei and Tenpo famines, a mountain ascetic carved them while praying for abundant harvests and relief from disease and suffering. The images are said to have originally been painted. This distinctive group allows visitors to encounter in person a form of folk belief preserved in Oku-Aizu. The site can be visited outside the winter season.
Zaku Cliff-Carved Thirty-Three Kannon
Buddhist Image Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県郡山市田村町糠塚字下滝434-22
Visiting Status Free access (outdoor cliff-carved image group)
MysteryDepthStillness
In Nukazuka, Tamura-machi, Koriyama City, the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon are incised into towering granite boulders on the summit area of the hill commonly known as Mt. Gongen. Created in Bunka 3 (1806), the year after the calamity of Bunka 2 (1805), this Shingon-affiliated group of Kannon images was made as a memorial offering and prayer for protection from disaster. Images numbered 1 through 33 are incised as standing and seated figures. The pilgrimage layout itself—worshipping the Thirty-Three Kannon in order while walking among the huge rocks—is a distinctive feature, allowing visitors to experience on site an Edo-period Kannon pilgrimage faith integrated with the mountain landscape.
Cliff-Carved Thirty-Three Kannon (Otomo)
Buddhist Image Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県郡山市田村町大供
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (outdoor tourist attraction)
DepthMysteryStillness
In Otomo, Tamura-machi, Koriyama City, thirty-three Kannon images are carved into a natural rock wall along the Kuroishi River. According to Koriyama City, they are said to have been created in 1773 (Anei 2), when an epidemic spread through Otomo Village, as prayers for the repose of the dead and for the health and safety of the villagers. The rock wall bears 33 Kannon images associated with the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage, and the group can still be viewed outdoors today. Access is listed as about a 20-minute walk from Iwaki-Moriyama Station or about a 15-minute walk from the Moriyama Elementary School bus stop. It is a Buddhist spot where visitors can experience local prayers and Edo-period Kannon devotion on site.
Nanashiroishiyama Park (Cliff-Carved Thirty-Three Kannon)
Buddhist Image Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県二本松市上川崎字水梨70
Visiting Status Outdoor viewing available (within Nanashiroishiyama Park)
MysteryDepthStillness
At Nanashiroishiyama Park in Kamikawasaki, Nihonmatsu City, the Cliff-Carved Thirty-Three Kannon remain on the mountainside. The thirty-three Kannon are carved into exposed granite surfaces and rock walls. Except for No. 33, most are line engravings about 70 cm high, and traces of vermilion are said to remain in places. Nihonmatsu City's official information also notes that unusual granite rocks carved with Kannon images and sacred inscriptions remain at Nanashiroishiyama, which is now maintained as a park. Walking among the giant rocks, visitors can follow early-modern Kannon devotion in an outdoor setting.
Kubota Thirty-Three Kannon
Buddhist Image Thirty-Three Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県河沼郡柳津町大字久保田字上ノ宮
Visiting Status Outdoor worship available (best from spring through autumn / parking available)
WarmthDepthMystery
Thirty-three stone Kannon Bodhisattvas are enshrined on Kannonyama in the Kubota district of Yanaizu Town. Tradition holds that in 1818 (Bunsei 1), local residents carved one image per household, each with a prayer, and the group is affectionately known as the "Mawari Kannon." Along a pilgrimage route about 234 m long, Sho-Kannon, Nyoirin Kannon, Eleven-Faced Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Bato Kannon and others stand at intervals of 5-6 m. There is also a rare figure known as the "Maria Kannon," holding a cross. Devotion for safe childbirth and good health continues, and the Kubota Thirty-Three Kannon Festival is held every year on April 29.
Furujuku Kannon Hall
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県東白川郡塙町大字伊香字古宿213
Visiting Status Normally viewable (principal image can be seen through gaps in the lattice doors)
DignityDepthStillness
A standing wooden statue of Eleven-Faced Kannon is enshrined at Furujuku Kannon Hall in Ika, Hanawa Town. Carved from a single zelkova log, it stands over 2 m high and retains traces suggesting it was originally painted. Its sculptor and date are unknown, but it is protected as a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Hanawa Town and is one of the town's notable large old Buddhist images. Because an ink-painted dragon dated Kanpo 2 (1742) remains on the hall's ceiling, the hall is thought to have been built before that time. The principal image is kept inside the hall, but visitors can actually see and worship it through gaps in the lattice doors.
Henshoin Temple (Sumiyoshi Cliff-Carved Buddhist Images)
Buddhist Image Group of cliff-carved Buddhist images including a seated Tathagata-form figure Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
福島県いわき市小名浜住吉字搦町37
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (outdoor historic site / included in Iwaki City's official cultural heritage tour course)
PowerDepthMystery
A group of cliff-carved Buddhist images from the Kamakura period remains on the hill behind Henshoin Temple in Onahama Sumiyoshi, Iwaki City. Multiple niches were cut into the western cliff face, and despite advanced weathering, a seated Tathagata-form image and a triad remain. The site was designated a Historic Site by Iwaki City in 1986 and is still included in the Iwaki Digital Museum's "Course Touring Cultural Properties of the Onahama District" as a site for on-location viewing. It is one of Iwaki's representative cliff-carved Buddhist sites, where visitors can trace medieval Buddhist figures integrated with the natural rock face.
Takadasan Tennoji Temple (Takada Kannon)
Buddhist Image Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県大沼郡会津美里町字高田甲2968
Visiting Status Hidden image (according to the official Japan Heritage site, in recent years it is partially unveiled every August 10)
GentlenessMysteryWarmth
The principal image of Takadasan Tennoji Temple, the 28th temple of the Aizu Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage, is an Eleven-Faced Kanzeon Bodhisattva. Also known as the "Human-Warmth Kannon," it is traditionally said to have warmth in its body. The former Kannon Hall stood about 500 m east of the present site, but after repeated fires it was moved to its current location in 1889 (Meiji 22). Once a hidden image unveiled only once every 33 years, it is now described by the official Japan Heritage "Aizu Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage" site as being partially unveiled on August 10 each year in recent years. It is a pilgrimage site with clearly stated viewing conditions that carries Aizu's Kannon devotion into the present.
Hinatayama Nichirinji Temple (Sekiyama Kannon)
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県大沼郡会津美里町氷玉字上小松乙396
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled once a year on August 9)
MysteryDepthStillness
An Eleven-Faced Kannon is enshrined in the Kannon Hall of Hinatayama Nichirinji Temple, the 24th temple of the Aizu Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage. According to the official Japan Heritage “Aizu Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage” site, the Kannon Hall once stood on level ground and is said to have been moved to its present location in 1790 (Kansei 2), after the mountainside was opened up. The principal image is normally hidden but is unveiled once a year on August 9. Reached by climbing 54 stone steps to the Kannon Hall in the mountains, this pilgrimage site offers a direct sense of Aizu’s pilgrimage culture and devotion to hidden Buddhist images.
Hirosawayama Kokushoji Temple (Hirasawa Kannon)
Buddhist Image Sho-Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県会津若松市町北町中沢字平沢419
Visiting Status Unveiled once a year (at the joint memorial service held every August 14)
GentlenessWarmthStillness
The Sho-Kannon Bosatsu is enshrined in the Kannon Hall of Hirosawayama Kokushoji Temple, the 16th temple of the Aizu Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage. The statue is one shaku seven sun high (about 51 cm) and continues to attract local devotion. According to the official Japan Heritage “Aizu Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage” site, a joint memorial service is held every August 14, and the Kannon Hall is opened on that occasion. It is an Aizu pilgrimage site with a clearly defined annual opportunity to view the actual image.
Enmanji Temple (Izugahara Kannon)
Buddhist Image Sho-Kanzeon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県耶麻郡西会津町下谷字宮ノ後丙231-1
Visiting Status Hidden image (exterior of the Kannon Hall can be viewed at any time / doors opened every April 17)
GentlenessDepthStillness
The Sho-Kanzeon Bosatsu is the principal image of Enmanji Temple's Kannon Hall in Shimotani, Nishiaizu Town. Revered as the "Child-Care Kannon," the image has long attracted devotion, while the Kannon Hall itself is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan and preserves the architectural style of the late Muromachi period. The exterior of the hall can be viewed at any time, but the doors are opened to allow worship of the principal image only once a year, on April 17. With a thatched historic hall and Kannon devotion dating back to the medieval period, this is a Buddhist spot with a clearly defined annual viewing date.
Katasone Thirty-Three Kannon
Buddhist Image Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県田村市船引町船引字四城内前293-2
Visiting Status Free viewing (outdoor cliff-carved Buddhist images)
MysteryDepthStillness
The Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon are line-incised into a rock face on the western side of the summit of Mt. Katasone in Funehiki, Tamura City. A local tradition says that in the late Edo period, a seriously ill resident living at the foot of the mountain carved the thirty-three Kannon while praying for recovery, and that the illness was cured after the work was completed. The site is designated a Historic Site by Tamura City, and the city's official information states that visitors may view it freely. The Kannon figures merge with the natural rock near the summit, offering an on-site encounter with early modern Kannon devotion.
Taki Hachiman Thirty-Three Kannon Cliff-Carved Buddhist Image Group (Thirty-Three Kannon Historic Site Park)
Buddhist Image Group of cliff-carved Buddhist images including Yakushi Nyorai, Amida Nyorai, Jizo Bosatsu, and Kannon Bodhisattvas Category Other
福島県西白河郡矢吹町滝八幡112-1
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (outdoors / open year-round / free)
PowerDepthMystery
A group of cliff-carved Buddhist images is carved into a cliff more than 10 m high facing the Kumado River at Taki Hachiman in Yabuki Town. A total of 37 images, each about 40–60 cm high, are arranged almost in a single row: one Yakushi Nyorai, one Amida Nyorai, one Jizo Bodhisattva, 32 various Kannon Bodhisattvas, and two figures whose identities are unknown. Because they are recorded in the Shirakawa Fudoki of 1805 (Bunka 2), they must have been created earlier, and their forms and style suggest around the latter half of the 18th century. The surrounding area has been developed as the Thirty-Three Kannon Historic Site Park, where visitors can view the cliff-carved images up close. It is one of the representative stone-Buddha sites of southern Fukushima Prefecture.
Oshu Sweating Jizo
Buddhist Image Jizo Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県西白河郡中島村大字滑津字代畑
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (open to everyone / free)
WarmthDepthMystery
A seated stone statue of Jizo Bodhisattva is enshrined in a Jizo Hall in the Daihata district of Nametsu, Nakajima Village. The statue is about 170 cm high, and an inscription on its back dates it to Kenmu 2 (1335). According to a long-standing tradition, the image would sweat before some unusual event occurred, warning the people; this gave rise to the name “Oshu Sweating Jizo.” It is said to have attracted many pilgrims through the end of the Edo period. In 1975 (Showa 50), it became Nakajima Village’s first designated Important Cultural Property. Today it is introduced as a village sightseeing spot that anyone can visit. It is a highly worthwhile Buddhist spot where visitors can see a large stone image bearing a medieval date inscription in person.
Jodo Sect Kukyozan Ichijoin Toganji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Dainichi Nyorai (Suginome Daibutsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
福島県福島市大町2番30号
Visiting Status Advance confirmation required (confirm with the temple about viewing the Dainichi Nyorai image)
DignitySolemnityDepth
The seated wooden Dainichi Nyorai known as the “Suginome Daibutsu” is enshrined in the main hall of Toganji Temple in central Fukushima City. Measuring 235 cm high, it is regarded as the largest surviving seated wooden Buddhist image in the city and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Fukushima City. After the former Great Buddha was lost in the Great Fukushima Fire of 1881 (Meiji 14), the present image, which had been enshrined in the Suginome Daibutsu Hall on Mt. Shinobu, was moved to Toganji Temple and has continued to attract devotion as the “Great Buddha in the city center.” Fukushima City’s official tourism information advises visitors to confirm in advance about viewing the Dainichi Nyorai image, so prior contact is required.
Tokoji Temple (Tomita Yakushi Hall)
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Yakushi Nyorai and Wooden Kongorikishi Statues (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Other
福島県東白川郡鮫川村大字富田字彦次郎210
Visiting Status Unveiled once a year (at the Hassaku Harvest Festival in late August each year)
PowerDignitySolemnity
Tomita Yakushi Hall stands within the grounds of Tokoji Temple in Tomita, Samegawa Village, and enshrines a wooden standing Yakushi Nyorai and two wooden Kongorikishi statues, all designated Important Cultural Properties of Fukushima Prefecture. The Yakushi Nyorai is 74 cm high and preserves characteristics of Kei-school Buddhist sculpture from the mid-Kamakura period. The Kongorikishi are single-block wooden statues measuring 166 cm for Agyo and 177 cm for Ungyo, and are valuable examples because comparable Kamakura-period works are rare. The Yakushi Hall is thought to have been built before Kanbun 8 (1668), and the three statues are unveiled once a year during the Hassaku Harvest Festival in late August. It is one of Samegawa Village’s representative Buddhist-image sites, where visitors can worship both the Yakushi Nyorai and the powerful Nio guardians at the same time.