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Entakuzan Hokoji Temple
Buddhist Image Rokuya Daibutsu (Seated Shaka Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都西多摩郡日の出町平井3392
Visiting Status Open for free worship during visiting hours (9:00–16:30; last entry 16:00)
SolemnityPeacefulnessDignity
The Rokuya Daibutsu, a bronze seated Shaka Nyorai, stands on the summit of Rokuyasan at Entakuzan Hokoji Temple. The temple’s 32nd head priest, Zen'gaku Shodo, vowed to build the Great Buddha in hopes of peace for people and of spreading Buddhist teachings in western Tama, and the 33rd head priest carried on his wish. The construction project began in 2013, and the statue was completed in 2018 by a foundry in Yamagata City together with many craftspeople. It was fully unveiled on April 8, 2019. The statue is 18 meters high including its pedestal, with a 12-meter-high Buddha figure, and weighs 60 tons. Visitors can worship this large Shaka Nyorai overlooking the satoyama landscape at close range, free of charge during visiting hours.
Chokokuji Temple (Eiheiji Tokyo Branch)
Buddhist Image Azabu Daikannon (Eleven-Headed Kannon Bosatsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都港区西麻布2-21-34
Visiting Status Open for worship daily in Kannon Hall (6:00–17:00)
SolemnityGentlenessDignity
The Azabu Daikannon enshrined in Kannon Hall at Chokokuji Temple, the Tokyo branch of Eiheiji, is an approximately 10-meter-high statue of the Eleven-Headed Kannon Bodhisattva. A great Kannon image erected here in 1716 was destroyed in the 1945 wartime fires. Through the devotion of people who wished to restore it, the present image was carved from a single camphor tree more than 600 years old over about ten years and completed in 1977. It was created by Ouchi Seiho, a member of the Japan Art Academy. In the distinctive Hasedera style, the figure holds a lotus vessel in the left hand and a staff with prayer beads in the right, while stepping the right foot slightly forward. One of Japan's largest wooden Kannon statues, it can be viewed at close range in Kannon Hall, which is open daily from 6:00 to 17:00.
Yogyokuin Nyorai-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Five Wisdom Tathagatas (Oi no Obotoke) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都品川区西大井5-22-25
Visiting Status Open for viewing (9:00–16:00)
SolemnityDignityDepth
The “Oi no Obotoke” at Yogyokuin Nyorai-ji Temple consists of five large Tathagata images—Shaka, Amida, Dainichi, Hosho, and Yakushi—enshrined side by side in Zuioden Hall. All five are joined-wood sculptures with gold leaf applied to the flesh areas, and the largest, the central Dainichi Nyorai, is 3.21 meters high. The group originated with Five Wisdom Tathagatas created by the monk Mokujiki Tansho together with his disciples; after fires, the four images other than Yakushi Nyorai were recreated around 1746. Known in Edo as the “Takanawa Daibutsu,” they became a celebrated sight before the temple moved to its present location in the Meiji period. Now designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Shinagawa City, the five monumental Tathagatas can be viewed at close range from 9:00 to 16:00.
Gokokuji Temple
Buddhist Image Six-Armed Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu (Principal Image) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都文京区大塚5-40-1
Visiting Status Secret image; unveiled on the 18th of every month except May, 10:00–15:00
NobilityMysteryGentleness
The principal image of Kannon Hall (Main Hall) at Gokokuji Temple is a Six-Armed Nyoirin Kannon Bodhisattva. Gokokuji was founded in 1681 at the request of Keishoin, mother of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, and when the temple buildings were completed in 1682, Keishoin’s personal devotional Nyoirin Kannon image made of natural amber was enshrined as the principal image. The six-armed image now enshrined is traditionally said to have been donated in 1700 by Eiryūin, mother of Hotta Masatora; its head is traditionally attributed to Eshin Sozu, while the body is said to have been newly made at that time. Its six arms symbolize the salvation of beings in the six realms, and its contemplative pose, with one right hand resting against the cheek, is distinctive. It is a secret image, unveiled from 10:00 to 15:00 on the 18th of every month except May.
Jomyo-in Temple
Buddhist Image 84,000 Jizo Statues (Group of Stone Jizo Bodhisattvas) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都台東区上野桜木2-6-4
Visiting Status Open for worship on the temple grounds (outdoors)
WarmthStillnessDepth
The “84,000 Jizo Statues” filling the grounds of Jomyo-in Temple are a vast group of stone Jizo Bodhisattva images. Jomyo-in was founded in 1666 as one of the 36 subtemples of Kaneiji. In 1879, the 38th head priest, Myoun, vowed to establish 84,000 Jizo statues in order to save people in the evil age of the Five Defilements and repay the Buddha’s grace. In Buddhist usage, “84,000” signifies an innumerable multitude, and the project continues today. According to the temple’s official site, as of March 2024 there were about 30,000 statues on the temple grounds and about 52,000 in total nationwide. Visitors can walk among the densely arranged outdoor Jizo images and worship them at close range, making this one of Tokyo’s most distinctive sites of Jizo devotion.
Sengyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Ikebukuro Daibutsu (Seated Shaka Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都豊島区南池袋2-20-4
Visiting Status Open for worship (10:00–18:00)
SolemnityPeacefulnessMystery
The “Ikebukuro Daibutsu” enshrined in Butsuon Hall at Sengyoji Temple is a seated Shaka Nyorai carved from Kiso cypress using joined-wood construction. Inspired by the Ceremony in the Air described in the Lotus Sutra, it has a distinctive appearance, with palms joined as it appears to float on clouds in midair. The image is 4.6 meters high, reaches 5.5 meters from the floor to the top of its halo, and weighs about 1.5 tons. Created by master Buddhist sculptor Watanabe Seizan, it contains more than 8,500 hand-copied sutra scrolls within its body. This is a highly distinctive Buddhist spot where visitors can encounter a monumental wooden Buddha at close range in a contemporary urban temple. Sengyoji’s official site also provides guidance for worship at the Great Buddha. The current official site lists visiting hours as 10:00–18:00.
Naritasan Tokyo Betsuin Fukagawa Fudodo
Buddhist Image Onegai Fudoson (Fudo Myo-o) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
東京都江東区富岡1-17-13
Visiting Status Open for worship in the Former Main Hall (8:00–18:00, free; special worship on the 15th of each month)
PowerDignitySolemnity
The “Onegai Fudoson” enshrined in the Former Main Hall of Naritasan Tokyo Betsuin Fukagawa Fudodo is one of Japan’s largest wooden Fudo images. It was carved from a sacred camphor tree more than 500 years old that grew in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, and stands 1 jo 8 shaku high. Visitors can normally worship it inside the hall. On the 15th of every month, special worship is held after the 11:00, 13:00, and 15:00 goma fire rituals, and after the service visitors may directly touch the Fudoson. Its major appeal is the rare chance to encounter a monumental wooden Fudo Myoo at close range in central Tokyo and, on specified days, to pray while touching the image itself. Fukagawa Fudodo is open from 8:00 to 18:00, and admission is free.
Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Nyorai (Principal Image) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都中央区築地3-15-1
Visiting Status Open for worship in the Main Hall (6:00–16:00, free)
SolemnityPeacefulnessNobility
The principal image of the Main Hall at Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple is Amida Nyorai. Tsukiji Hongwanji is a Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha temple whose head temple is Nishi Hongwanji in Kyoto, and its official guide explicitly invites visitors to enter the Main Hall and worship close to the principal Amida image. The principal image is a wooden standing Amida Nyorai traditionally attributed to Prince Shotoku. The present Main Hall was rebuilt in 1934 after the Great Kanto Earthquake to a design by Ito Chuta and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Within its distinctive interior inspired by ancient Buddhist architecture of India and other parts of Asia, visitors can worship facing the principal image. The Main Hall is open from 6:00 to 16:00 and admission is free.
Hosen-in Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Statue of Enma-o (Enma of Hirai) Category Other
東京都西多摩郡日の出町平井860
Visiting Status Open year-round (9:00–17:00, free)
DignityPowerTense Presence
The wooden seated statue of Enma-o enshrined in the Enma Hall at Hosen-in Temple is a Muromachi-period Buddhist image affectionately known as the “Enma of Hirai.” Based on an inscription formerly kept inside the statue and other evidence, it is said to have been made by the Buddhist sculptor Ryokai in 1473. The 89 cm-high image is constructed of joined hinoki cypress wood and is distinguished by its wide-open crystal eyes, raised eyebrows, and powerful wrathful expression. During restoration in 2006–07, later coloring and paper coverings were removed, revealing the lacquer surface from the time of its creation. Designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo, it can now be viewed year-round from 9:00 to 17:00 free of charge.
Zenkoku-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Bishamonten Statue Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都新宿区神楽坂5-36
Visiting Status Secret image (next unveiling: September 1, 2026, around 9:00–16:00; in 2026 it is unveiled on January 4, January 16, May 4, and September 1)
PowerDignityMystery
The Bishamonten statue enshrined at Zenkoku-ji Temple in Kagurazaka has been worshipped since the temple's founding in 1595 and is revered as the “Bishamonten of Kagurazaka.” Zenkoku-ji is a Nichiren Shu temple, and this Bishamonten was known in the Edo period as one of the “Three Bishamonten of Edo,” together with those of Shoden-ji in Shiba and Shoho-ji in Asakusa. Today it is also one of the Shinjuku Yamanote Seven Lucky Gods. The statue is normally hidden behind a curtain and cannot be seen, but special unveilings are held on Days of the Tiger in January, May, and September. In 2026, the unveiling dates are January 4, January 16, May 4, and September 1, from around 9:00 to 16:00. It is a valuable Buddhist spot in central Kagurazaka where this historic Bishamonten can be seen on clearly announced dates.
Shiofune Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Kannon Bosatsu (Principal Image) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都青梅市塩船194
Visiting Status Secret image; unveiled four times a year: January 1–3, January 16, the May Grand Festival, and the Shimanrokusennichi Festival on the second Sunday of August
NobilitySolemnityMystery
The secret principal image enshrined in the zushi of the Main Hall at Shiofune Kannonji is a standing Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Kannon Bodhisattva. The 144.0 cm-high figure is made of joined hinoki cypress, has crystal eyes, and is finished with gold pigment on the flesh and gold leaf over lacquer on the robes. Inscriptions show that it was created in 1264 by the Buddhist sculptors Hogen Kaisei and Hokyo Kaiken, and repaired in 1512. Its tall, slender figure with forty-two arms is distinguished by a refined, dignified appearance, and it is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Normally kept hidden inside the zushi, it is unveiled four times a year: January 1–3, January 16 for the First Kannon observance, during the May Grand Festival, and at the Shimanrokusennichi Festival on the second Sunday of August.
Togakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Kongo Rikishi Statues (Akagami Nio) Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都北区田端2-7-3
Visiting Status Open for worship on the temple grounds (outdoors)
PowerWarmthMystery
The pair of stone Kongo Rikishi statues standing beside the sanmon gate in front of Goma Hall at Togakuji Temple are known as the “Akagami Nio” because their bodies are covered with red paper. According to the temple’s official site, they were donated to Tabata Hachiman Shrine on August 21, 1641 by the monk Donyo Shukai and were moved to Togakuji, which had served as the shrine’s betto temple, during the early Meiji separation of Shinto and Buddhism. The pair consists of an Agyo and an Ungyo figure. Worshippers place red paper on the same part of the statue as the affected part of their body to pray for the Nio to take on the illness in their place, and offer straw sandals after their prayer is fulfilled. Kita City’s official tourism site also introduces them as a public sightseeing spot. Set outdoors on the temple grounds, they can be worshipped at close range and form one of Tokyo’s most distinctive Nio devotional sites.
Banryuji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Benzaiten (Iwaya Benzaiten) Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都目黒区下目黒3-4-4
Visiting Status Open for worship in the grotto (free admission)
MysteryDepthStillness
The stone Benzaiten enshrined in the rock grotto beside the Main Hall at Banryuji Temple is one of the Yamanote Seven Gods of Fortune and is known as Iwaya Benzaiten. According to Meguro City’s Digital Encyclopedia, the small image is about 30 cm high and is enshrined in a stone shrine within the grotto. In 1709, Shomyo-in Temple was moved from below Gyouninzaka to this site and rebuilt under the name Banryuji; tradition links this renewal to worship of Iwaya Benzaiten as a guardian of Edo’s ura-kimon. Today it remains venerated as the Benzaiten of the Yamanote Seven Gods of Fortune, and visitors can worship at the grotto free of charge.
Hojo-in Temple (Fukagawa Enmado)
Buddhist Image Seated Enma-o Statue Category Other
東京都江東区深川2-16-3
Visiting Status Open for viewing (9:00–17:00)
DignityPowerWarmth
The seated statue of Enma-o enshrined in the Fukagawa Enmado at Hojo-in Temple is a monumental joined-wood image erected in 1989. It measures 3.5 meters in overall height, 4.5 meters in width, and weighs about 1.5 tons; the temple’s official site describes it as Japan’s largest seated statue of Enma-o. In front of the image are offering slots corresponding to 19 types of prayers, and when an offering is inserted, an audio message delivers Buddhist teachings in the voice of Enma-o. Hojo-in has long been revered since the Edo period as the “Enma of Fukagawa,” and visitors can view the statue from 9:00 to 17:00. It is one of Tokyo’s most distinctive Buddhist spots, allowing visitors to encounter a giant Enma image at close range.
Koganji Temple (Togenuki Jizo)
Buddhist Image Arai Kannon (Stone Sho Kannon Bosatsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都豊島区巣鴨3-35-2
Visiting Status Arai Kannon is open for worship 24 hours a day year-round; the water stops at 18:00. The original statue is unveiled on the 18th of every month until 14:00
GentlenessWarmthPeacefulness
The “Arai Kannon” on the grounds of Koganji Temple is a stone image of Sho Kannon Bodhisattva. Worshippers pour water over the statue and wash the part corresponding to an afflicted area of their own body with a cloth, in the belief that it may bring healing. The original statue was erected and donated for memorial purposes by parishioner Yaneya Kiheiji, who lost his wife in the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657. After becoming worn through many years of worship, it was withdrawn from regular worship in 1992. The present second-generation image was donated by parishioner Nakabori Yoshie and created by sculptor Yatsuyanagi Naoki; it was consecrated on November 27, 1992. Although it serves as an attendant image to the temple’s principal Togenuki Jizo, it has attracted widespread devotion and can be worshipped 24 hours a day. The original statue is also unveiled on the 18th of every month until 14:00.
Jojuin Temple (Tako Yakushi)
Buddhist Image Tako Yakushi Nyorai (Seated Yakushi Nyorai, Principal Image) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都目黒区下目黒3-11-11
Visiting Status Secret image (unveiled only on January 8 each year for Hatsuyakushi)
MysteryWarmthPeacefulness
The principal image of Jojuin Temple, known as Tako Yakushi Nyorai, is a seated Yakushi Nyorai enshrined as a Yakushi triad with Nikko and Gakko Bodhisattvas as attendants. Tradition holds that Ennin, the monk known as Jikaku Daishi, enshrined it when he came to Meguro in 858. The image is called “Tako Yakushi” because three octopuses support its lotus pedestal, a form linked to the story that a small Yakushi image Ennin cast into the sea to calm rough waters on his return from China later drifted ashore riding on an octopus. Long revered for healing and relief from illness, the principal image is normally kept secret and is unveiled only on January 8 each year for the Hatsuyakushi observance.
Taisho University Sugamo Ohdai Kannondo
Buddhist Image Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都豊島区西巣鴨3-20-1
Visiting Status Open to all visitors (9:00–17:00)
GentlenessPurityWarmth
Sugamo Ohdai Kannondo on the Taisho University campus is an octagonal, three-level Buddhist cultural facility completed in 2013 and popularly known as the Ohdai Sazaedo. Its principal image, Sho Kannon Bodhisattva, called Sugamo Ohdai Kannon, is enshrined on the top floor. The image was created by the Matsuhisa Sorin Buddhist Sculpture Studio and donated by the Tokyo Branch of the Ohdai Alumni Association. It was established with prayers for peace and prosperity in the local community and for the health and happiness of visitors. Worshippers ascend the hall's double-spiral route to encounter the image at close range. The hall is currently open to everyone from 9:00 to 17:00.
Musashi Kokubunji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai (Principal Image) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都国分寺市西元町1-13-16
Visiting Status Secret image (publicly unveiled once a year on October 10 during the unveiling service)
DignityDepthPeacefulness
The principal image of Musashi Kokubunji, a wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai, is enshrined in the main zushi shrine at the front of Yakushido Hall. Dating from around the late Heian period, it is a joined-wood sculpture with carved eyes and lacquer-and-gold-leaf finish, about 1.91 meters high and of half-jōroku scale. Nikko and Gakko Bodhisattvas from the Muromachi period stand as attendants, with the Twelve Divine Generals completing the devotional ensemble. Temple tradition says the image survived the destruction of the old Musashi Kokubunji during the Battle of Bubaigawara in 1333. Now designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan, it is normally kept secret and is shown to the public only once each year, on October 10, during the unveiling service held on the temple's 'Day of the Eyes.'
Nanzoin Temple
Buddhist Image Shibarare Jizo (Stone Jizo Bosatsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都葛飾区東水元2-28-25
Visiting Status Open for worship during temple hours (9:00–16:00)
WarmthMysteryDepth
The Shibarare Jizo enshrined on the grounds of Nanzoin Temple is a stone Jizo Bodhisattva about one meter high, traditionally said to have been erected in 1701. According to the temple, the Bunsei-era temple records describe it as a Jizo believed to grant many kinds of wishes, especially recovery from serious illness. Worshippers tie rope around the statue when making a wish and untie it when the wish is fulfilled, a custom that gave it the name “Shibarare Jizo,” or “Bound Jizo.” It is also widely known through the story of Magistrate Ooka Echizen. A rope-untying memorial rite is still held every December 31. Visitors can normally worship the statue during the temple’s opening hours, 9:00–16:00.
Marishiten Tokudaiji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Marishiten (Kaiun Dai-Marishiten) Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都台東区上野4丁目6-2
Visiting Status Secret image (unveiled for prayer services on each Day of the Boar; dates are announced on the temple’s official website)
PowerMysteryDignity
Marishiten Tokudaiji in Ueno’s Ameyoko enshrines the Kaiun Dai-Marishiten, revered alongside the temple’s principal object of worship. According to Taito City, the wooden standing Marishiten is 19.4 cm high (38.4 cm overall), principally carved from a single block of conifer wood, with a boar beneath its feet. Traditionally attributed to Prince Shotoku, it was enshrined at Tokudaiji in 1708 after a visionary encounter connected with Honpoji in Kyoto. The image survived both earthquake and wartime fires and remains a focus of devotion. Normally kept secret, it is unveiled for prayer services on the recurring Days of the Boar associated with Marishiten; dates are announced by the temple.