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Kizakizan Kongoin Muryo-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Prince Shotoku (Koyo Taishi Image) Category Other
茨城県常総市菅生町5028
Visiting Status Advance confirmation required (visitors wishing to view the image should contact the temple office; advance confirmation recommended)
NobilityRefinementDepth
The wooden standing image of Prince Shotoku preserved in the Prince Shotoku Hall at Muryo-ji Temple is an Ibaraki Prefecture-designated cultural property. The 124.7 cm figure is made of joined hinoki wood with crystal eyes and represents the sixteen-year-old prince praying for the recovery of his father, Emperor Yomei, in the form known as the “Koyo Taishi.” An ink inscription inside the statue identifies it as a work made in 1301 by the Buddhist sculptor Hoin Yuben, and the image preserves the old-fashioned pose of presenting a handled incense burner with both hands. Muryo-ji today promotes itself as a temple of fragrant osmanthus and Prince Shotoku, with this statue as a principal attraction, and services are held in the Prince Shotoku Hall during the spring and autumn equinox periods. Visitors are instructed to speak to the temple office about viewing, and advance confirmation is recommended for those who want to be certain of seeing the image.
Oiwa Shrine
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
茨城県日立市入四間町752
Visiting Status Normally closed to direct viewing (unveiled at the spring and autumn Eko festivals; check official dates in advance)
MysteryDignityDepth
The wooden seated Dainichi Nyorai preserved at Sai Shrine within Oiwa Shrine is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Ibaraki Prefecture. The 61 cm joined-wood statue wears a gilt-bronze Five Wisdom crown representing the Five Wisdom Tathagatas and forms the hokkai jo-in meditation mudra before the abdomen. At Oiwa Shrine, where traditions of syncretic Shinto-Buddhist worship remain especially strong, the image was once revered as a principal protective Buddha. Sources differ on its date: Oiwa Shrine places it in the late Kamakura period, while the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education dates it to the Muromachi period. It cannot normally be viewed directly, but is unveiled twice a year at the spring and autumn Eko memorial festivals and continues to be enshrined within a tradition of syncretic memorial worship.
Onoko Kannon Hall (attached to Onoko Community Center)
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Thousand-Armed Kannon (Onoko Senju Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
茨城県下妻市下妻乙498
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (unveiled twice a year, in mid-January and on August 9; confirm dates in advance)
RefinementNobilityDepth
The wooden seated Thousand-Armed Kannon enshrined at Onoko Kannon Hall is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Ibaraki Prefecture. The statue is 65.5 cm high, made with joined-wood construction and fitted with crystal eyes, and is dated to the late Kamakura period in the 13th century. Its clear expression and realistically modeled, resilient body display characteristic qualities of Kamakura sculpture, and the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education regards it as one of the representative works of medieval sculpture in the area. It was originally enshrined at Shinjuin, a temple abolished in the Meiji period, and is now protected by the local community in a Kannon hall attached to the Onoko Community Center. Normally closed to the public, it is unveiled as part of Shimotsuma City's annual observances in mid-January and on August 9, when visitors can worship the original image.
Itokuzan Fukujuin Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Eleven-Faced Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
茨城県牛久市久野町2976
Visiting Status Viewing 9:00–15:00 (Ushiku Tourism Association guidance; advance confirmation recommended to ensure viewing of the principal image)
RefinementNobilityDepth
The wooden seated Eleven-Faced Kannon enshrined in the main hall of Kannonji Temple in Kuno, Ushiku City, is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Ibaraki Prefecture. Made of joined hinoki wood with a sabi-urushi ground applied over the entire surface, it dates from the Muromachi period. The sculpture shows Song-style influence modeled on Buddhist facial forms from China’s Song dynasty and is especially noted for raised gold-pigment decoration on the monastic robe. Temple tradition dates the temple's founding and the enshrinement of its principal image to 807, but expert assessment identifies the present statue as a Muromachi-period work. The Ushiku Tourism Association lists viewing hours for Kannonji as 9:00–15:00 and presents the principal image as a major attraction. Advance confirmation is recommended for visitors who want to be certain of seeing the principal image.
Guchimitsuzan Shohoin Rokujizoji Temple (Mito Daishi)
Buddhist Image Principal Images: Six Standing Jizo Bosatsu Statues Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
茨城県水戸市六反田町767
Visiting Status Hall open 8:30–16:00 (no regular closing days; hours may change during New Year, equinox periods, and Obon)
PeacefulnessWarmthSolemnity
The six standing Jizo Bosatsu statues are the principal images enshrined in the Jizo Hall of Mito Daishi Rokujizoji Temple. According to the temple's official materials, all six are each six shaku tall and carved from a single block of wood. They have long been deeply revered as principal images for prayers concerning safe childbirth, a child's first temple visit, child-rearing, and fulfillment of wishes. Temple tradition says that Gyoki carved them while making three bows for every cut, but because neither the date nor the sculptor is historically established, this is treated as a tradition rather than a confirmed fact. Rokujizoji is an old Shingon temple traditionally founded in 807. The present Jizo Hall, a Mito City-designated cultural property, was built in 1700 through a donation by Tokugawa Mitsukuni. The hall housing the principal images is normally open from 8:30 to 16:00 and remains a living center for prayer rites and children's first temple visits.
Ooyaji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Senju Kannon (Ooya Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県宇都宮市大谷町1198
Visiting Status Open for worship during visiting hours (closed Thursdays, except public holidays; closed Dec. 26–31; photography prohibited inside the buildings)
SolemnityMysteryDepth
The principal image of Ooyaji Temple, the standing Senju Kannon known as Ooya Kannon, is a cliff-carved Buddha about 4 m high, carved into a natural rock wall. Temple tradition says Kobo Daishi created it in 810 during the Heian period, while Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Oya Cliff-carved Buddhas as a group to the Heian–Kamakura periods. The ten images—Senju Kannon, a Shaka triad, a Yakushi triad, and an Amida triad—are designated nationally as a Special Historic Site and Important Cultural Properties. The temple remains the 19th site of the Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Visitors can view the cliff-carved images at close range inside the rock-sheltered main and side halls. Visiting hours are 8:30–16:30 from April to September and 9:00–16:30 from October to March, with admission ending 20 minutes before closing.
Nikkozan Chuzenji Temple
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Kanzeon Bosatsu (Tachiki Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県日光市中宮祠2578
Visiting Status Open for worship during visiting hours (Apr–Oct 8:00–17:00; Nov and Mar 8:00–16:00; Dec–Feb 8:30–15:30; admission closes 30 minutes before closing)
GentlenessMysterySolemnity
Nikkozan Chuzenji Temple is a branch temple of Rinnoji founded in 784 by Shodo Shonin, the founder of Nikkozan. Its principal image, the Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Kanzeon Bosatsu known as Tachiki Kannon, is a Important Cultural Property. Temple tradition says Shodo Shonin saw Senju Kannon over Lake Chuzenji and carved the figure into a living katsura tree. The unusual wooden image is said to remain rooted in the ground. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Heian period and records its designation as an Important Cultural Property in 1914. Chuzenji is the 18th temple of the Bando Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage, and the principal image may be worshipped during regular visiting hours.
Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple
Buddhist Image Senju Kannon, Amida Nyorai and Bato Kannon (Honji Buddhas of the Three Nikko Gongen) Category Tathagata / Bodhisattva
栃木県日光市山内2300
Visiting Status Open for worship during visiting hours (Apr–Oct 8:00–17:00; Nov–Mar 8:00–16:00; admission closes 30 minutes before closing; some dates/times are unavailable due to ceremonies or preparations)
DignitySolemnityPower
The inner sanctuary of Sanbutsudo, the main hall of Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple, enshrines three great Buddhist images: Senju Kannon, Amida Nyorai, and Bato Kannon. The three 7.5 m-high images are the honji Buddhas of the Three Nikko Gongen, associated with Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyoho, and Mt. Taro, and are among Rinnoji’s principal objects of worship. The transom also enshrines three kakebotoke (hanging Buddhist plaques) representing the honji Buddhas of the Three Tosho Gongen—Yakushi Nyorai, Amida Nyorai, and Shaka Nyorai—so the hall contains two groups of three sacred images. Sanbutsudo itself is a Important Cultural Property and a component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Shrines and Temples of Nikko.” The three principal images can normally be worshipped inside the hall during visiting hours.
Oya Park
Buddhist Image Heiwa Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県宇都宮市大谷町1174
Visiting Status Viewable and open for worship outdoors (Oya Park is open year-round and free of charge)
GentlenessSolemnityPeacefulness
Heiwa Kannon is a 27 m-high Kannon carved into the rock wall at Oya Park. Created to commemorate those who died in World War II and to pray for world peace, this monumental image was carved entirely by hand into the rock face of a former open-air Oya stone quarry over six years beginning in 1948. Utsunomiya City also presents the 27 m-high Heiwa Kannon as one of the park’s principal features, and it is now familiar to both visitors and local residents. From the observation deck reached by stairs, visitors can see its gentle expression at close range and look out over the town of Oya. Oya Park is open year-round and free of charge, and the image can be worshipped outdoors.
Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple
Buddhist Image Crowned Amida Nyorai and the Four Bodhisattvas Ho, Ri, In and Go (Amida Five-Image Group) Category Tathagata / Bodhisattva
栃木県日光市山内2300
Visiting Status Open for worship during visiting hours (Jogyodo opens at 9:00; closes at 17:00 Apr–Oct and 16:00 Nov–Mar; admission ends 30 minutes before closing; viewing is free)
NobilityRefinementSolemnity
Jogyodo at Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple enshrines a five-image group centered on a crowned Amida Nyorai. The principal image wears a jeweled crown and rides a peacock, while the four surrounding bodhisattvas—Ho, Ri, In and Go—each also ride a peacock, a highly unusual configuration said to be unique in Japan. The Agency for Cultural Affairs considers the central image to date from 1145 and describes its gentle style as following the Jocho tradition. The four bodhisattvas include later replacements, but the five figures have been preserved as a single group and were designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan in 2000. Jogyodo continues to serve as a hall for memorial services, including rites for ancestors and deceased children, and the principal image can be worshipped during regular visiting hours.
Ikkoji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Amida Nyorai (Asekaki Amida) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県宇都宮市西原2-1-10
Visiting Status Advance contact required (viewable in the storage hall)
MysteryDepthWarmth
The bronze seated Amida Nyorai known as “Asekaki Amida” is kept in a storage hall south of the main hall at Ikkoji Temple. It was cast in 1405, early in the Muromachi period, with Utsunomiya Mitsutsuna, the 12th lord of Utsunomiya Castle, as the principal patron, by the caster Hata Kageshige, who worked in the Utsunomiya area. It was originally the principal image of Chorakuji Temple, the family temple of the Utsunomiya clan. The image is 105 cm high and bears a total of 1,105 engraved characters on its robes, including an inscription recording that 345 people participated in its creation. It was designated a Important Cultural Property in 1950. A tradition says that the image sweats before major calamities, giving rise to the familiar name “Asekaki Amida,” and it is also revered for protection from fire. Advance contact is required for viewing.
Tokuzoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Five Hundred Arhat Statues Category Other
栃木県足利市猿田町9-3
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (reservation required to view the Five Hundred Arhats)
WarmthDepthSolemnity
Tokuzoji Temple’s Gohyaku Rakan Hall houses a group of wooden Arhat statues. Inside the hall, built in 1813, are 513 figures, each with a different expression and gesture. Arhats represent enlightened disciples of Shakyamuni, and at Tokuzoji the statues are affectionately known for the idea that visitors may find one that resembles themselves. The 513 wooden Arhat statues together with the Rakan Hall were designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1968. Tokuzoji is also open to community interaction under the nickname “Ping-Pong Temple,” but viewing the Five Hundred Arhats requires an advance reservation.
Saimyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Enma King and Two Attendant Figures (Laughing Enma) Category Other
栃木県芳賀郡益子町益子4469
Visiting Status Temple grounds are freely accessible; the front lattice doors of Enma Hall are opened at set times from the 15th to the 17th of each month
WarmthDignityDepth
Enma Hall at Saimyoji Temple enshrines a wooden seated Enma King with two attendant figures. Created in 1633 in the early Edo period, the group is described by Mashiko Town as displaying bold yet refined carving, facial expressions that convey the character of each figure, and flowing drapery lines. The unusually large Enma King is especially distinctive and, because of an expression unlike the conventional stern image of Enma, is affectionately known locally as the “Laughing Enma.” The group was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1975. The temple grounds are open year-round and freely accessible, and the front lattice doors of Enma Hall are opened at set times from the 15th to the 17th of each month.
Sanuki Stone Buddha
Buddhist Image Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県塩谷郡塩谷町佐貫
Visiting Status Open for outdoor worship (free of charge)
PowerMysterySolemnity
The Sanuki Stone Buddha is a cliff-carved Dainichi Nyorai on a massive rock face about 64 m high along the left bank of the Kinugawa River. The image itself is approximately 18.2 m high, with a face about 3 m long and 1.64 m wide. A local tradition also attributes the carving to Kobo Daishi, saying it was completed in a single night. Weathering has made the full form difficult to discern clearly, but the face and lotus-petal sections can still be identified. The site was designated a National Historic Site in 1926. Its extraordinary scale makes the natural rock wall itself seem like part of the sacred image, and it can be worshipped outdoors free of charge.
Senjuin Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Senju Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県鹿沼市千手町2610
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (main hall opens on the 1st of each month; if the park is closed or it rains, opening is moved to the following day)
RefinementStillnessNobility
Senjuin Temple, an unstaffed temple within Senjuyama Park, enshrines a wooden seated Senju Kannon Bosatsu. Kanuma City dates the image to the Kamakura period (14th century). It is 51.4 cm high, made of joined hinoki wood, covered with lacquered cloth and gold leaf, with gold pigment on the body and crystal eyes. Its realistic, refined face is marked by a firm mouth and full cheeks. Some of the small Buddha heads and auxiliary arms are later replacements, while the boat-shaped halo and nine-tier lotus pedestal date to the middle Edo period. The image was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Kanuma City in 1981. It is normally closed to the public, but the main hall opens on the 1st of each month; if the park is closed or it rains, the opening is moved to the following day.
Sennenji Temple
Buddhist Image Iron Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県さくら市喜連川3530
Visiting Status Open for worship 8:00–17:00 (no regular closing days)
DepthGentlenessPower
Sennenji Temple enshrines an iron standing Amida Nyorai as its principal image. An inscription on the back securely dates this Kamakura-period iron Buddha to 1283, and the statue is about 40 cm high. Rather than bronze, it was cast in iron, and casting burrs remain along the sides where the front and back molds were joined. Repeated fires damaged and destroyed the feet, but the face retains its original form and gentle, compassionate gaze. The image was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1966 and continues to be revered for protection from misfortune, fulfillment of wishes, and household safety. Official tourism information lists visiting hours as 8:00–17:00 with no regular closing days.
Senshoji Temple
Buddhist Image Gilt-Bronze Standing Amida Nyorai (Principal Image of a Zenkoji-style One-Halo Triad) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県那須郡那須町伊王野1622
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (opened once a year on April 17)
RefinementNobilitySolemnity
Senshoji Temple preserves a gilt-bronze standing Amida Nyorai as its principal image. It is the central figure of a Zenkoji-style one-halo triad and stands 48 cm high. An inscription on the back establishes that it was made in May 1267 by the Buddhist sculptor Fujiwara Mitsutaka, with Fujiwara Sukenaga, an ancestor of the Iono family, as patron. The image has a well-proportioned, beautiful face, and some of its original gold leaf still preserves the color of the time of its creation. It was designated a Important Cultural Property in 1950. Senshoji has long served as the family temple of the Iono clan, and this statue remains the principal image that embodies that history. It is normally closed to the public and, according to Tochigi Prefecture’s cultural-property information, is opened once a year on April 17.
Daijoji Temple
Buddhist Image Iron Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県宇都宮市道場宿町1101
Visiting Status Advance contact required
PowerDepthMystery
Daijoji Temple preserves an iron standing Amida Nyorai. Utsunomiya City dates the image to the Kamakura period, and it is a rare iron Buddha in contrast to the far more common wooden and bronze Buddhist images. The main body was cast in one piece using front and back molds; the separately cast hands are now missing. After being caught in a fire, the image became blackened, part of the left forearm melted, and the tip of the left foot and other areas were lost, leaving visible traces of the fire on this medieval iron Buddha. Iron images made from the same original model survive in Saitama and Nagano prefectures, making this a distinctive example for the study of medieval cast Buddhist sculpture. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1995. Advance contact is required for viewing.
Yakushido Hall
Buddhist Image Iron Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県栃木市西方町金井495
Visiting Status Advance contact required
DepthStillnessPower
Yakushido Hall enshrines an iron seated Yakushi Nyorai. An inscription on the back dates this Kamakura-period iron Buddha precisely to December 18, 1277. The image is 89.7 cm high, with cast iron about 1.5 cm thick. Its heavy eyelids and broadly modeled nose and lips give it a calm expression, and it is designated a Important Cultural Property. The pedestal and halo are later additions; the four-tiered iron lotus pedestal bears an inscription dated 1740, confirming that it was made by a Tenmyo caster in the Edo period. Official Tochigi City tourism information states that advance contact is required for viewing. It is a rare medieval iron Buddha that can still be visited and worshipped in person.
Taigenji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Hundred Kannon Bosatsu Statues (Sano Hundred Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県佐野市犬伏上町1892
Visiting Status Advance contact required (9:00–17:00; regular closing days are not specified)
SolemnityDepthWarmth
The Sano Hundred Kannon are a group of one hundred bronze Kannon Bodhisattva statues enshrined in the grounds of Taigenji Temple. They were created in the Edo period as competitive works by Tenmyo metal casters, following a vow by Ryokaku Shonin of Nikkozan. The group consists of 30 Senju Kannon, 28 Eleven-Faced Kannon, 24 Sho Kannon, 8 Nyoirin Kannon, 4 Enmei Kannon, 2 Bato Kannon, 2 Fukukensaku Kannon, and 2 Juntei Kannon, representing all one hundred pilgrimage temples of the Saigoku 33, Bando 33, and Chichibu 34 Kannon circuits without a single image missing. In 1962 the group was designated a Tangible Cultural Property (sculpture) of Tochigi Prefecture. A major highlight is the opportunity to see many different Kannon forms cast in the Tenmyo tradition together in one place. Tochigi Prefecture’s cultural-property information requires advance contact, while the Sano City Tourism Association lists visiting hours as 9:00–17:00.