Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Jindaiji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Shaka Nyorai with Pendant Legs (Hakuho Buddha) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都調布市深大寺元町5-15-1
Visiting Status Open for free worship until completion of Hakuho-in (Shaka Hall 9:30–16:00)
GentlenessRefinementPurity
The National Treasure Bronze Seated Shaka Nyorai with Pendant Legs (Hakuho Buddha) is enshrined in the Shaka Hall at Jindaiji Temple. The 83.9 cm-tall bronze image is thought to date to the latter half or end of the 7th century, in the late Asuka period. Its pendant-leg seated pose, youthful gentle expression, soft modeling of the body, and orderly robe folds are characteristic of Hakuho-period Buddhist sculpture. Rediscovered beneath the altar of the Ganzan Daishi Hall in 1909, it was designated a National Treasure in 2017. Until Hakuho-in is completed, visitors may worship it freely in the Shaka Hall, open from 9:30 to 16:00.
Jorenji Temple (Tokyo Daibutsu)
Buddhist Image Tokyo Daibutsu (Amida Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都板橋区赤塚5-28-3
Visiting Status Open for worship during temple hours (9:00–15:45 last admission, gates close at 16:00)
SolemnityPeacefulnessDepth
The Tokyo Daibutsu standing in the grounds of Jorenji Temple is an image of Amida Nyorai. It was commissioned by the temple’s 24th head priest, Rev. Wakabayashi Ryudo, to memorialize the victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Tokyo air raids and to pray that such devastation from disaster and war would never recur. The statue was consecrated on April 11, 1977. Made of bronze, it rises 13 meters from its base and weighs 32 tons. At the time of completion it was regarded as Japan’s third-largest Great Buddha after those of Nara and Kamakura, and it was later selected as one of the New One Hundred Views of Tokyo. Visitors may worship it freely during opening hours.
Gohyaku Rakanji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Shaka Triad, Five Hundred Arhats, and Related Statues Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都目黒区下目黒3-20-11
Visiting Status Paid admission (9:00–17:00; last admission 16:30)
DepthSolemnityWarmth
Enshrined in the Main Hall and Rakan Hall of Gohyaku Rakanji Temple are the Wooden Shaka Triad, Five Hundred Arhats, and Related Statues. Around the Genroku era in the mid-Edo period, Zen master Sho'un Genkei is said to have undertaken the project and completed 536 statues, including the principal image, over more than a decade; he carved most of the figures himself. The 305 surviving statues are designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Tokyo. The principal Shaka Nyorai is 356 cm tall, while the Five Hundred Arhats measure 78.1–90 cm; they are joined-block wooden sculptures with lacquer and gold leaf. The temple was founded in Honjo in 1695 and moved to its present site in 1908. Today it is affectionately known as “Meguro no Rakan-san,” and the statues are open to visitors for an admission fee in the Main Hall and Rakan Hall.
Kuhonzan Yuizai Nenbutsuin Joshinji Temple (Kuhonbutsu)
Buddhist Image Nine Amida Nyorai Statues Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都世田谷区奥沢7丁目41-3
Visiting Status Open for worship during temple hours (6:00–16:30). The Upper Hall is currently closed and its three Upper-grade images cannot be viewed; the Upper-grade Middle-birth image has been temporarily relocated for restoration since April 2026
SolemnityDepthPeacefulness
Joshinji Temple, popularly known as “Kuhonbutsu,” traditionally enshrines nine Amida Nyorai statues, three each for the Upper, Middle, and Lower grades in its three Amida halls. The founder, Priest Kaseki, commissioned them out of a wish to save all beings, and the nine statues were completed in 1667. Each is a nearly 2.8-meter joroku-scale image. Based on the nine grades of rebirth described in the Contemplation Sutra, the Upper-grade images form the Amida meditation mudra, the Middle-grade images the teaching mudra, and the Lower-grade images the welcoming mudra, with further finger variations for upper, middle, and lower birth. All nine are designated cultural properties of Tokyo. A major restoration project is underway; the Upper Hall is currently closed and its three Upper-grade images cannot be viewed. The Upper-grade Middle-birth image has been temporarily relocated for restoration since April 2026. The Amida images in the Middle and Lower Halls may be visited during opening hours.
Kaneiji Temple – Ueno Daibutsu (Pagoda)
Buddhist Image Ueno Daibutsu (Surviving Face) Category Other
東京都台東区上野公園4-8
Visiting Status Open for worship during opening hours (10:00–16:00)
DignityDepthStillness
The surviving face of the Ueno Daibutsu is preserved on Daibutsuyama in Ueno Park. After the Great Buddha was donated by Hori Naoyori in 1631, it repeatedly suffered damage and restoration after earthquakes and fires. Its head fell during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and during World War II the body was requisitioned under a wartime metal requisition order, leaving only the face today. A pagoda was built on the former site of the Great Buddha Hall in 1966, and in 1972 the surviving face of the Great Buddha was restored and re-enshrined in its present relief-like form. The pagoda houses the Yakushi Triad formerly enshrined in the old Yakushi Hall. Rather than a complete statue, visitors encounter the surviving face itself—a distinctive Tokyo Buddhist site shaped by centuries of disaster and history.
Honsenji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Jizo Bosatsu (one of the Edo Six Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都品川区南品川3-5-17
Visiting Status Open year-round (9:00–17:00, free)
WarmthDignityDepth
The bronze seated Jizo Bosatsu at the gate of Honsenji Temple is the first of the Edo Six Jizo and is associated with the Tokaido route. Jizobo Shogen vowed in 1706 to establish six Jizo images at the entrances of Edo’s major highways in gratitude for recovery from illness, and this statue was the first to be completed, in 1708. It was cast by the Kanda Nabemachi caster Ota Suruga-no-kami Masayoshi and stands 275 cm high. Formerly gilded, it is the largest of the five surviving Edo Six Jizo statues. Designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo, it remains on year-round public view as a Jizo watching over travelers on the old Tokaido.
Senso-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Kannon Bosatsu and Seishi Bosatsu (Nison-butsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都台東区浅草2-3-1
Visiting Status Freely accessible for worship in the temple grounds (open-air statues)
SolemnityGentlenessDepth
The “Nison-butsu” standing in the grounds of Senso-ji are two bronze seated Bodhisattva statues: Kannon on the right and Seishi on the left. They were erected in 1687 by Takase Zenbei of Tatebayashi in Kozuke Province to repay the kindness of the merchant family he had served in Nihonbashi, Edo, and to pray for the repose of that family. Including their lotus pedestals, the statues rise about 4.5 meters and are regarded as outstanding large-scale bronze Buddhist images of the early Edo period. Because they stand outdoors without a hall, they are also known as the “Nure-botoke” or “Wet Buddhas.” Visitors can approach and worship them freely in the temple grounds.
Takahata Fudoson Kongoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Fudo Myo-o and Two Attendant Boys (Joroku Fudo Triad) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
東京都日野市高幡733
Visiting Status Paid viewing in Okuden Hall (9:00–16:00; closed Mondays; temporary closures may occur)
PowerDignityTense Presence
The Important Cultural Property “Wooden Fudo Myoo and Two Attendant Boys” is enshrined in the Okuden Hall of Takahata Fudoson Kongoji Temple. Dating from the Heian period, the triad centers on a joroku-scale seated Fudo Myoo flanked by Kongara and Seitaka, and is a unique surviving example among Heian-period joroku-scale Fudo triads. The images were damaged when the Fudo Hall collapsed in a great storm in 1335 and were repaired in 1342, as recorded on inscriptions in the principal image and halo. After restoration from 2000 to 2002, the original triad was installed in the Okuden Hall, where it can still be worshipped at close range.
Shiofune Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Shiofune Peace Kannon Statue Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都青梅市塩船194
Visiting Status Open for worship during visitor hours (8:30–16:30; admission fee applies during the paid azalea-viewing period)
GentlenessSolemnityPurity
The Shiofune Peace Kannon Statue stands at the summit of the azalea garden at Shiofune Kannonji Temple. This 13-meter-tall Great Kannon was erected in 2010 as a commemorative project for the temple’s 1,350th anniversary. The right hand forms the abhaya mudra, the left the boon-granting mudra, and the figure tilts a water vessel, expressing the bestowal of Kannon’s great compassion upon all beings. Overlooking the temple grounds from the hilltop, the statue is one of the temple’s representative objects of worship. Visitors may approach and worship it during visitor hours; an admission fee is required during the paid azalea-viewing period.
Ogannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Cast-Iron Bosatsu Head (Sho Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都中央区日本橋人形町1-18-9
Visiting Status Normally closed; unveiled on the 11th and 17th of every month (open to all worshippers)
DignityMysteryDepth
The principal image of Ogannonji Temple is a cast-iron head of Sho Kannon, believed to date from the Kamakura period. It measures 170 cm in total height and 54 cm across the face. The image is said to have originally belonged to Shin-Kiyomizudera Temple in Kamakura; after a fire in the Kamakura period, only the head was excavated. It later left Kamakura in the wake of the separation of Shinto and Buddhism and was enshrined at the present site in 1876. Today it is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo. Normally kept behind closed doors, it is unveiled on the 11th and 17th of every month and may be worshipped by anyone. The monumental detached head, itself serving as the principal image, makes this an especially striking Buddhist site in central Tokyo.
Daienji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Group of the Shaka Triad, Five Hundred Arhats, and Related Figures Category Other
東京都目黒区下目黒1-8-5
Visiting Status Open for worship on the temple grounds (7:00–17:00 Jan–May and Oct–Dec; 7:00–18:00 Jun–Sep; open year-round)
DepthWarmthStillness
On the northeastern slope of Daienji Temple’s grounds is a group of about 520 stone figures. A Shaka triad stands at the center, surrounded by the Sixteen Arhats and the Ten Great Disciples, with roughly 500 arhat figures arranged behind them. The central Shaka Nyorai bears an inscription dated 1781, and many of the other figures are thought to have been made after that time. The group is said to have been created through public donations to memorialize those who died in the 1772 Gyōnin-zaka Great Fire, and it was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo (historical materials) in 1970. Because the figures stand outdoors, visitors can worship them at close range and observe their individual expressions during opening hours.
Meguro Fudoson Ryusenji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都目黒区下目黒3-20-26
Visiting Status Displayed outdoors (under a protective roof behind the Main Hall)
DignitySolemnityStillness
The Bronze Seated Dainichi Nyorai is enshrined behind the Main Hall of Meguro Fudoson Ryusenji Temple. An inscription on the pedestal records that it was made in 1683 by the caster Yokoyama Hanemon-no-jo Masashige. The image is 385 cm high overall, with a seated height of 281.5 cm. It was made using the fukiyose technique, in which more than ten sections—including the hair, head, torso, arms, and knees—were cast separately and assembled. In the Edo period it was housed inside a building, later stood outdoors for many years, and is now sheltered by a protective roof. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property (sculpture) of Meguro City in 1984. Because it is displayed outdoors, visitors can worship this large Edo-period Buddhist image at close range.
Tennoji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都台東区谷中7-14-8
Visiting Status Open for worship on the temple grounds (outdoors)
DignityRefinementStillness
The Bronze Seated Shaka Nyorai at Tennoji Temple stands on the temple grounds. An inscription on the back records that it was made in May 1690 by the caster Ota Kyuemon of Kanda Nabemachi. Cast in bronze using a sectional mold technique, the image measures 296 cm in height, with a hairline height of 241 cm. It has spiral curls, a jewel on the ushnisha and an urna, wears monastic robes, holds both hands together in prayer before the chest, and sits in the full-lotus posture. It was moved to its present location in 1933 and entered in Taito City's cultural property register as a Tangible Cultural Property in 1993. Edo-period sources also described it as a joroku Buddha, and it remains one of Yanaka's representative large Shaka images. Enshrined outdoors, it can still be viewed and worshipped at close range by the general public.
Shinshoji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Jizo Bosatsu (one of the Edo Six Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都豊島区巣鴨3-21-21
Visiting Status Open for worship on the temple grounds (outdoors)
WarmthPeacefulnessDignity
The bronze seated Jizo Bosatsu at Shinshoji Temple is one of the Edo Six Jizo. Jizobo Shogen initiated the project in 1706 to erect six Jizo images at the main road entrances to Edo, and this statue was made in 1714 as the fourth of the six, guarding the Nakasendo route. It was cast by Ota Suruga-no-kami Fujiwara Masayoshi, a metal caster of Kanda Nabemachi. The joroku-scale image is about 2.7 meters high and was once gilded. This large Jizo has watched over travelers on the Nakasendo, and today it remains outdoors and open to general worship.
Saikoji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都新宿区舟町13-2
Visiting Status Open to the public during daytime (outdoors)
GentlenessRefinementStillness
The Bronze Seated Amida Nyorai at Saikoji Temple is enshrined outdoors on the temple grounds. This bronze joroku-scale image was erected in 1694 by the hatamoto retainer Fushimi Kanjuro Tamechi in memory of his father and was cast by Shiina Iyo Ryokan and Hyogo Shigenaga. The Buddha forms the meditation mudra with both hands and has a calm appearance. Although the outdoor exposure has caused some damage, the statue retains its graceful form. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property (sculpture) of Shinjuku City in 1984. The Shinjuku Historical Museum lists it as open to the public during daytime, allowing general visitors to worship and view it at close range on the temple grounds.
Reiganji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Jizo Bosatsu (one of the Edo Six Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都江東区白河1-3-32
Visiting Status Open year-round (9:00–17:00, free, outdoors)
DignityWarmthDepth
The Bronze Seated Jizo Bosatsu on the grounds of Reiganji Temple is the fifth of the Edo Six Jizo. It was cast in 1717, with Fukagawa Jizobo Shogen as the sponsor, by the Kanda Nabemachi caster Ota Suruga-no-kami Fujiwara Masayoshi. The image is 273 cm high and was assembled by casting together 16 separately made thin bronze sections. The names of about 10,000 devotees are incised on the statue. It was once gilded, and traces of gold leaf still remain in places. Designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo (sculpture), it is open free of charge year-round from 9:00 to 17:00 and can be worshipped at close range on the temple grounds.
Taisoji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Jizo Bosatsu (one of the Edo Six Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都新宿区新宿2-9-2
Visiting Status Open year-round (7:00–18:00, free, outdoors)
DignityWarmthDepth
The bronze seated Jizo Bosatsu on the grounds of Taisoji Temple is the third of the Edo Six Jizo. It was one of six Jizo images erected at the main road entrances to Edo following the vow of Fukagawa Jizobo Shogen, and this statue was established in 1712 as the third of the group. It was cast by Ota Suruga-no-kami Fujiwara Masayoshi, a metal caster of Kanda Nabemachi. At 267 cm high, it is the smallest of the Edo Six Jizo, yet it remains an imposing example of large-scale mid-Edo-period bronze sculpture. The names of donors and other inscriptions are carved on the image and lotus pedestal, and the statue was once gilded. Designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo, it is open free of charge year-round from 7:00 to 18:00.
Tozenji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Jizo Bosatsu (one of the Edo Six Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都台東区東浅草2-12-13
Visiting Status Open for worship on the temple grounds (outdoors)
DignityWarmthDepth
The Bronze Seated Jizo Bosatsu on the grounds of Tozenji Temple is the second of the Edo Six Jizo. It was one of six Jizo images erected at the main road entrances to Edo following the vow of Fukagawa Jizobo Shogen, and was established in 1710 to guard the Oshu Kaido route. The image is 2.71 meters high, and inscriptions on its back and lotus pedestal identify the caster as Ota Suruga-no-kami Masayoshi of Kanda Nabemachi. Unlike the other Edo Six Jizo, traces indicate that its surface was textured like woven cloth, coated with red-brown lacquer, and then covered with gold leaf. After suffering damage from long exposure to wind and rain, it was restored in 1999. Designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo, it can still be worshipped by the general public on the temple grounds.
Kogenji Temple
Buddhist Image Komagome Daikannon (Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都文京区向丘2-38-22
Visiting Status Open for worship 24 hours a day
SolemnityGentlenessWarmth
The Komagome Daikannon at Kogenji Temple is a standing Eleven-Headed Kannon about 6 meters high, made of joined cypress wood and covered with gold leaf. The temple once had a Kannon image erected in 1697 as a copy of the image at Hasedera in Nara, but it was destroyed together with the Kannon Hall in the 1945 air raids. In 1993, fulfilling the former chief priest's long-held wish, the Eleven-Headed Kannon was recreated in wood with gold leaf. It is in the Hasedera style, distinguished by holding a staff also associated with Jizo Bosatsu. The temple is open for worship 24 hours a day, allowing visitors to see this large Kannon at close range in central Tokyo.
Zojoji Temple
Buddhist Image Kurohonzon Amida Nyorai (Black Principal Image) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都港区芝公園4-7-35
Visiting Status Secret image; unveiled at Ankokuden Hall on January 15, May 15, and September 15 each year
DignityMysteryDepth
The Kurohonzon Amida Nyorai enshrined in Ankokuden Hall at Zojoji Temple is a secret image traditionally revered by Tokugawa Ieyasu as his personal devotional Buddha. It is also traditionally attributed to the monk Genshin, known as Eshin Sozu, and Ieyasu is said to have carried it with him in military camps while praying for victory. The image was later dedicated to Zojoji and has been widely venerated since the Edo period as a Buddha invoked for success and protection from misfortune. The name Kurohonzon, or “Black Principal Image,” is traditionally explained in part by the darkening of the image from many years of incense smoke. Normally kept hidden, it is unveiled at Ankokuden Hall on January 15, May 15, and September 15 each year.