Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Kaneiji Kiyomizu Kannon-do
Buddhist Image Senju Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都台東区上野公園1-29
Visiting Status Secret image (unveiled every year on the first Day of the Horse in February during Daihannya Sutra services at 10:00 and 14:00)
SolemnityMysteryNobility
The secret principal image of Kiyomizu Kannon-do in Ueno Park is a Thousand-Armed Kannon Bodhisattva. The official Kaneiji site says the image was brought from Kiyomizudera in Kyoto and is traditionally attributed to the Heian-period monk Eshin Sozu. Taito City dates the image to the 13th century and records a tradition that a monk from Kyoto’s Kiyomizudera brought it and that Taira no Morihisa presented it to Tenkai. Normally kept hidden, the image is unveiled every year on the first Day of the Horse in February during Daihannya Sutra services at 10:00 and 14:00. It is a clearly defined annual opportunity to worship this historic Kannon in the hall modeled on Kyoto’s Kiyomizudera.
Senso-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Jikokuten and Zochoten Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都台東区浅草2-3-1
Visiting Status Viewable from the temple grounds (enshrined at Nitenmon Gate)
PowerDignityTense Presence
At Senso-ji Temple’s Nitenmon Gate stand Jikokuten and Zochoten, two guardian deities of the Four Heavenly Kings. Both date to the early Edo period and were carved by the Kyoto Buddhist sculptor Yoshida Hyobu Fujifusa using the joined-wood technique. Jikokuten guards the east and Zochoten the south. The statues were formerly enshrined at Genyu-in, the mausoleum of the fourth Tokugawa shogun Ietsuna at Kaneiji in Ueno, and were transferred to Senso-ji in 1957. Today Jikokuten stands on the right and Zochoten on the left when facing the gate. Designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Tokyo, they retain traces of old color on their faces and armor and can be viewed at close range through the gate.
Nishiarai Daishi Sojiji Temple
Buddhist Image Dainichi Nyorai Statue Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都足立区西新井1丁目15-1
Visiting Status Open for worship during temple grounds opening hours (outdoors)
DignityPeacefulnessWarmth
The Dainichi Nyorai statue stands within the grounds of Nishiarai Daishi. According to the temple’s official guide, it was erected during the Bunsei era and enshrines Dainichi Nyorai ritually invoked from Mount Yudono, one of the Three Sacred Mountains of Dewa. Nishiarai Daishi, formally named Gochizan Henjoin Sojiji, is a Shingon-shu Buzan-ha temple and one of Tokyo’s best-known temples for prayers against misfortune, marking the 1,200th anniversary of its founding in 2026. The statue is listed as one of the main sights on the temple’s grounds map and can be worshipped directly by visitors. It is an accessible historic outdoor Buddhist spot that fits naturally into a visit to this famous temple.
Ikegami Honmonji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Statue of Nichiren Shonin (Lifelike Image / Image Manifesting Filial Devotion) Category Other
東京都大田区池上1-1-1
Visiting Status Open for worship in the Daido (daily morning service at 5:30 is open to all)
DignityDepthStillness
This seated wooden statue of Nichiren Shonin is enshrined at the center of the inner sanctuary of the Daido at Ikegami Honmonji. It was created in 1288, the seventh memorial observance for Nichiren, with Nichiji Shonin and Nichijo Shonin serving as principal patrons. Because people who had known Nichiren during his lifetime were involved in its creation, it is known as the “Lifelike Image.” Nichiren holds Volume Six of the Lotus Sutra in his left hand and a ritual whisk containing his mother’s hair in his right, giving rise to the name “Image Manifesting Filial Devotion.” It is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The statue symbolizes Ikegami Honmonji, the sacred site of Nichiren’s passing, and the Daido holds a morning service every day at 5:30 that anyone may attend.
Shibamata Taishakuten Daikyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Taishakuten Principal Image on a Wooden Plaque Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都葛飾区柴又7-10-3
Visiting Status Taishakudo Hall is freely open for worship (until 17:00 on weekdays and 18:00 on weekends/holidays). The wooden-plaque principal image is unveiled for requested prayer or memorial services and remains openly displayed on Koshin days
PowerDignityDepth
The principal image of Shibamata Taishakuten Daikyoji is an image of Taishakuten carved on a wooden plaque, traditionally said to have been carved by Nichiren Shonin himself. One side bears the title Namu Myoho Renge Kyo and a passage from the Lotus Sutra’s Medicine King chapter, while the other depicts Taishakuten in a fierce form holding a sword in his right hand. The image was lost during the mid-Edo period and rediscovered during repairs to the Main Hall in 1779. Because the day of its rediscovery was a Koshin day, Koshin worship became closely associated with Shibamata Taishakuten, and many visitors still come on the Koshin day that occurs every 60 days. Anyone may enter Taishakudo Hall to worship; the principal image is enshrined in the front zushi. It is unveiled for requested prayer and memorial services, and on the Koshin day that comes every 60 days the wooden-plaque principal image remains on open display for general worship.
Sengakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都港区高輪2-11-1
Visiting Status Open for worship in the Main Hall (temple gates 7:00–16:00)
DignityStillnessDepth
Sengakuji Temple, widely known as the burial place of the Forty-seven Ronin of Ako, enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha as the principal image of its Main Hall. Sengakuji is one of the three major Soto Zen temples of Edo, and the present Main Hall was rebuilt in 1953 after wartime destruction. Along with Shakyamuni Buddha, the hall enshrines Dogen Zenji, Keizan Zenji, and the secret image of Marishiten associated with Oishi Kuranosuke. The temple grounds also include the graves of the Ako retainers and a memorial museum, making Sengakuji one of Tokyo’s best-known historic temple sites. The temple gates are open year-round from 7:00 to 16:00.
Takaosan Yakuoin Yuki-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Zochoten, Jikokuten, Tamonten, and Komokuten Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都八王子市高尾町2177
Visiting Status Viewable while visiting the temple grounds (enshrined inside the Four Heavenly Kings Gate)
PowerDignitySolemnity
The Four Heavenly Kings Gate at Takaosan Yakuoin enshrines Zochoten, Jikokuten, Tamonten, and Komokuten. According to the temple’s official site, the gate was built in 1984 as part of the 1,150th memorial anniversary of Kobo Daishi, with the four guardian deities placed inside to protect the four directions. Takaosan Yakuoin is a major temple of the Chizan school of Shingon Buddhism, traditionally founded by Gyoki in 744, and today venerates Izuna Daigongen as its principal deity. Located on the main pilgrimage route through Mount Takao, these visible guardian statues can be viewed at close range by visitors passing through one of Tokyo’s best-known mountain temples.
Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin
Buddhist Image Kodakara Kannon Bosatsu Statue Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都港区元赤坂1-4-7
Visiting Status Open for worship during temple grounds opening hours (outdoors)
GentlenessWarmthPeacefulness
The Kodakara Kannon Bosatsu statue is enshrined within the grounds of Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin in Akasaka. The temple traces its origins to Ooka Echizen-no-kami Tadasuke, the famous Edo magistrate, who enshrined the deity of Toyokawa Inari at his residence. Today it is a directly affiliated branch temple of Toyokawa Inari Myogonji in Aichi Prefecture. The temple’s official precinct guide identifies the Kodakara Kannon statue as one of its worship spots, where visitors pray to be blessed with children. A Kodakara Kannon festival is held every year on May 22 at 11:00. Located within walking distance of Akasaka-mitsuke and Nagatacho, this well-known temple offers direct outdoor worship of the statue during opening hours.
Tamagawa Daishi Gyokushin-in Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Buddhist Images of the Shikoku 88 Temples and Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimages (about 300 figures) Category Other
東京都世田谷区瀬田4-13-3
Visiting Status Open for pilgrimage (9:00–16:30, last entry 16:00; ¥1,000 for high school students and adults, ¥500 for junior high school students and younger)
MysteryTense PresenceDepth
Beneath the main hall and temple grounds of Tamagawa Daishi Gyokushin-in lies the Underground Henjo Kongo Hall. According to the temple’s official guide, this underground sanctuary symbolically represents the womb of the great hidden Dainichi Nyorai and contains stone images connected with the Shikoku 88-temple and Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimages. Completed by Ryukai Osho in 1934, it lies about five meters underground, extends for roughly 100 meters, and contains around 300 stone Buddhist figures in a reinforced-concrete passage. Visitors are not permitted to use lights inside and proceed in silence while reciting “Namu Daishi Henjo Kongo,” creating a distinctive form of pilgrimage. Near Futako-Tamagawa, it is one of Tokyo’s most unusual places to experience a symbolic pilgrimage and tainaimeguri, a passage through the Buddha’s womb.
Todoroki Fudoson (Manganji Branch Temple)
Buddhist Image Fudo Myo-o (Principal Image) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
東京都世田谷区等々力1-22-47
Visiting Status Open for worship inside the Main Hall (anyone may enter freely to pray)
PowerDignityStillness
The principal image of Todoroki Fudoson, located above Todoroki Valley, is Fudo Myoo. Temple tradition says that Kogyo Daishi carried an image of Fudo Myoo, traditionally attributed to En no Gyoja, into the Kanto region and enshrined it after finding a valley matching a vision from a dream. The deity continues to attract prayers for fulfillment of wishes, protection from misfortune, and good relationships. Regular goma fire rituals are held at 14:00 on the 15th and 28th of each month and on weekends and public holidays. The temple’s official FAQ states that anyone may freely enter the Main Hall to worship, making it an accessible and well-known Buddhist stop near Todoroki Valley.
Genkakuji Temple (Konnyaku Enma)
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Statue of Enma-o (Konnyaku Enma) Category Other
東京都文京区小石川2-23-14
Visiting Status Open for worship at Enma Hall
DignityMysteryDepth
Genkakuji Temple in Koishikawa is famous for its wooden seated image of Enma, affectionately known as “Konnyaku Enma.” According to the temple, the statue is about one meter high, made of joined cypress wood, and is thought from a Bunkyo City survey to date to the Kamakura period in the tradition of the Unkei school. An inscription records restoration by a Buddhist sculptor in 1672, and the image is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Bunkyo City. A popular legend tells of an elderly woman whose eye disease was cured after 21 days of prayer, after which Enma’s right eye became blind; in gratitude, she offered konnyaku. The image has since been revered for healing eye ailments and even appears in works by Natsume Soseki and Higuchi Ichiyo, making it a famous Buddhist site that preserves the popular religious traditions of Edo.
Horinouchi Myohoji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakuyoke Soshi Statue (Nichiren Shonin) Category Other
東京都杉並区堀ノ内3-48-8
Visiting Status Open for worship in Soshido Hall; the face can be viewed during a formal unveiling (gates 6:00–17:00, prayer reception 7:00–16:00)
WarmthDepthDignity
Myohoji’s Yakuyoke Soshi statue has been affectionately known since the Edo period as the “Soshi of Horinouchi.” Temple tradition says that when Nichiren was exiled to Izu in 1261, Nichiro Shonin carved an image of him from a sacred piece of driftwood found at Yuigahama, and Nichiren himself later consecrated the statue after returning. The image was subsequently transferred from Hokkeji in Himonya, Meguro, to Myohoji, where it became widely revered by Edo townspeople for protection from misfortune. It is enshrined behind the front screen of Soshido Hall, and visitors who receive a formal unveiling may see its face. The temple is also famous as the setting of the classic rakugo story “Horinouchi,” making it a renowned Buddhist site that symbolizes Tokyo’s tradition of popular devotion.
Arai Yakushi Baishoin Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai and Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu (Two-in-One Principal Image) Category Other
東京都中野区新井5-3-5
Visiting Status Secret image (unveiled only in Years of the Tiger; normally not on view)
MysteryWarmthDepth
The principal image of Baishoin, widely known in Nakano as Arai Yakushi, is an unusual two-in-one sacred image of Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai and Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu. Temple tradition holds that it was a guardian image of the Nitta clan, was lost during warfare, and was rediscovered in 1586 inside a hollow plum tree in Arai, leading to the establishment of the temple. In the Edo period it became known as Chigan Yakushi for healing eye ailments, linked to a tradition concerning Tokugawa Hidetada’s daughter Kazuko, and also as Kosodate Yakushi for prayers for children’s healthy upbringing. The principal image is a secret image and, according to the temple, is unveiled only in Years of the Tiger. Goma rituals continue to be held on the 8th, 18th, and 28th of each month, and the temple remains one of Nakano’s representative pilgrimage temples.
Ekoin Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Amida Nyorai (Principal Image) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
東京都墨田区両国2-8-10
Visiting Status Open for worship in the Main Hall during opening hours (9:00–17:00)
SolemnityPeacefulnessDepth
The principal image of Ekoin in Ryogoku is a large seated bronze Amida Nyorai. According to the temple, it was made by Kamaya Rokuemon, known as “Kamaroku,” and installed in 1705. The image measures six shaku five sun five bu in height, with a lotus pedestal three shaku four sun five bu high, and is noted for its full, compassionate expression. Ekoin was founded to memorialize more than 100,000 victims of the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 and later became a place of prayer for victims of disasters, accidents, and people who died without anyone to mourn them. A group of one thousand Jizo images is enshrined behind the principal image, creating a solemn devotional setting. In Ryogoku, also famous for sumo history and the grave of Nezumi Kozo, this Amida image embodies the temple’s long tradition of memorial prayer.
Rinsenji Temple
Buddhist Image Shibarare Jizo (Stone Jizo Bosatsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都文京区小日向4-7-2
Visiting Status Open for worship on the temple grounds (outdoors); ropes are removed for memorial rites at year-end
WarmthMysteryDepth
Rinsenji Temple in Myogadani enshrines the “Shibarare Jizo,” a stone Jizo Bodhisattva about one meter high. According to the temple, worshippers bind the statue with rough rope when praying for protection from theft, misfortune, and other troubles, and remove the rope when their wish is fulfilled, a custom that has continued since the Edo period. Once a year at the end of the year, the ropes are removed and memorial rites are held. The statue was already noted as famous in an Edo-period local guide and also appears in stories such as Ooka Seidan and Zenigata Heiji, making it a distinctive surviving example of popular Edo devotion. Bunkyo City’s official tourism information also introduces it as a sightseeing spot.
Matsuchiyama Shoden Honryuin Temple
Buddhist Image Bishamonten (Asakusa Seven Lucky Gods) Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都台東区浅草7-4-1
Visiting Status Open for worship in the Main Hall during opening hours (6:00–16:30; open year-round)
DignityNobilityWarmth
This Bishamonten image is enshrined at Matsuchiyama Shoden Honryuin, a subtemple of Senso-ji. According to Taito City’s official tourism information, it is a dignified wooden image enshrined as an attendant to the principal deity, Daisho Kangiten. Matsuchiyama Shoden is known for Shoden devotion symbolized by daikon radishes and drawstring pouches, and the yokuyu-ku (ritual oil-bathing offering) for Daisho Kangiten is performed in the Main Hall every morning. Bishamonten is also worshipped as one of the Asakusa Seven Lucky Gods, making this an easy Buddhist image to visit together with sightseeing in Asakusa. The hall is open from 6:00 to 16:30 year-round.
Shofukuji Temple
Buddhist Image Kubizuka Jizo Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都墨田区墨田2-6-20
Visiting Status Open for worship on the temple grounds (GO TOKYO lists 7:30–16:30; hours may vary by season or period)
DepthStillnessWarmth
Kubizuka Jizo is enshrined at Shofukuji Temple near Kanegafuchi in Sumida. The temple states that the Jizo memorializes the skulls of warriors who died from the Nanboku-cho period onward and continues to attract worshippers today. According to the Sumida City Tourism Association, many skulls were discovered during dredging work near Hashiba on the Sumida River in 1833; they were reburied by the temple and local people, who erected a memorial known as the Kubizuka. The Jizo is worshipped for ailments affecting the head and neck. A memorial service is held before the image at 7:00 on the fourth day of every month and is open to anyone. GO TOKYO also lists the temple as a current sightseeing spot, and the Jizo preserves the history of popular devotion and memorial practice in Tokyo.
Shinobazu-no-ike Bentendo
Buddhist Image Eight-Armed Benzaiten Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都台東区上野公園2-1
Visiting Status Secret image (unveiled at the Minarukane Festival on September 16, 2026; the hall is open 5:00–17:00 that day)
MysteryNobilitySolemnity
The principal image of Shinobazu-no-ike Bentendo in Ueno is the Eight-Armed Benzaiten. According to Kaneiji, Tenkai created an island in Shinobazu Pond modeled on Chikubushima in Lake Biwa, built the hall during the Kan'ei era, and enshrined a Benzaiten invoked from Hogonji on Chikubushima. Unlike the familiar lute-holding form of Benzaiten, this image has eight arms bearing implements that destroy delusion and is worshipped as a guardian of music, the performing arts, and financial fortune. It is normally hidden, but is unveiled during the annual Minarukane Festival; in 2026, the festival falls on September 16 and the hall is open from 5:00 to 17:00. The present octagonal hall was rebuilt in 1958. In one of Ueno’s best-known sightseeing areas, the annual festival provides a clearly scheduled opportunity to worship this secret image.
Senso-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Maedachi Principal Image: Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
東京都台東区浅草2-3-1
Visiting Status Secret image (unveiled during the Gokuden Opening Service at 2:00 p.m. on December 13 each year)
MysteryNobilitySolemnity
Enshrined in the sacred inner sanctuary of Senso-ji's Main Hall, this Maedachi is a substitute image displayed in place of the temple’s principal image, Sho Kannon Bosatsu. Senso-ji traditionally attributes the image to Jikaku Daishi. Both the principal image and the Maedachi are normally hidden, but the Maedachi alone is unveiled to worshippers during the Gokuden Opening Service at 2:00 p.m. every December 13. The principal image is traditionally said to have appeared in 628 and has been kept absolutely hidden since 645, making this annual unveiling of the Maedachi an especially important opportunity to encounter Senso-ji's Kannon devotion directly.
Senso-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Nio Guardian Statues (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
東京都台東区浅草2-3-1
Visiting Status Open for worship from the temple grounds (enshrined at Hozomon Gate; viewable from outdoors)
PowerDignitySolemnity
A pair of Nio guardian statues is enshrined at both sides of Hozomon, the main inner gate of Senso-ji. According to the temple, the present statues were created from January 1962 to March 1964, carved by Shinkan Nishikido and Hisaku Muraoka and colored by Gyokushu Isogai and Katsuyuki Isogai. Made of Kiso cypress, each weighs about 1,000 kg. The figures measure 4.54 m and 4.93 m in height, with an overall height of 5.45 m each. The Nio are worshipped as guardians of physical well-being, protection from calamity, protection from children’s ailments traditionally called “mushi,” and smallpox, and the 8th of each month is their devotional day. Standing directly beyond Nakamise at one of Tokyo’s best-known sightseeing landmarks, these monumental guardians can be viewed at close range.