Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Nehanji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Jizo Bosatsu (Higiri Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県佐野市天明町2229
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (opened on the 24th of every month)
WarmthGentlenessPeacefulness
The Higiri Jizo at Nehanji Temple is a wooden standing Jizo Bosatsu. Made in the Kamakura period using joined-wood construction, it is designated a Cultural Property of Sano City. A local tradition says that a wish will be granted when one sets a specific deadline for it, and the image is affectionately known as Higiri Jizo. It is normally closed to the public, but the image is opened on the 24th of every month, making the viewing conditions clear. The opportunity to see a Kamakura-period Jizo image within a living tradition of worship is one of its main attractions.
Fumonin Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Half-Lotus-Seated Kagami Enmei Jizo Bosatsu (Kagami Enmei Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県佐野市七軒町2189
Visiting Status Advance contact required
GentlenessPeacefulnessWarmth
The principal image of Fumonin Temple is a bronze half-lotus-seated Kagami Enmei Jizo Bosatsu. Holding a wish-fulfilling jewel in the left hand and a staff in the right, with the left leg lowered, the image is accompanied by Kongara and Seitaka, attendants of Fudo Myoo. Temple tradition states that the tenth head priest, Jakuo, created it around the end of the Kyoho era together with Hasegawa Yaichi, regarded as a master of Sano Tenmyo casting, and an incised inscription on the back includes Jakuo’s name. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1959. With its gentle expression, it has attracted devotion as the “Jizo who grants wishes,” and a monthly prayer service with a goma fire ritual is still held on the 24th of every month. Advance contact with Fumonin is required for viewing.
Sawa Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai (Guharishiki Amida) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県矢板市沢393
Visiting Status Open to the public (no advance reservation required)
MysterySolemnityRefinement
Sawa Kannonji Temple preserves a wooden seated Amida Nyorai known as Guharishiki Amida. Dating from the early to middle Edo period, the image is 56.9 cm high, with a pedestal 52.6 cm high. Made of wood in joined-block construction, it has lacquer-gilt coloring and inset crystal eyes. The figure wears a high topknot and an octagonal crown, forms the meditation mudra, and sits cross-legged. The flesh areas and circular halo are painted deep crimson, while the robes and pedestal are finished in lacquer gilding. Guharishiki Amida serves as the principal image of the Guhari esoteric rite, and its red-based appearance is a distinctive feature. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 2001. Tochigi Prefecture lists the image as open to the public, and official tourism information states that Sawa Kannonji is open year-round and does not require advance reservations.
Izurusan Manganji Temple
Buddhist Image Natural Stalactite Formation Revered as Eleven-Faced Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県栃木市出流町288
Visiting Status Open for worship during Okunoin hours (Apr–Sep 8:30–16:00; Oct–Mar 8:30–15:00; open year-round; no reservation required)
MysterySolemnityStillness
In the Kannon Sacred Cave at the Okunoin of Izurusan Manganji Temple is a natural formation of stalactite revered as an Eleven-Faced Kannon. According to the temple, the ascetic En no Ozunu discovered the sacred cave more than 1,200 years ago, and Shodo Shonin founded the temple in 765. Inside the limestone cave, visitors worship the natural form regarded as the back of Eleven-Faced Kannon, long associated with prayers for conception, safe childbirth, and child-rearing. The Okunoin is a stage-style worship hall built at the entrance to the sacred cave. It is open 8:30–16:00 from April to September and 8:30–15:00 from October to March, year-round, with no reservation required for ordinary worship. Unlike a carved Buddhist statue, this is a distinctive sacred site where a natural formation itself is worshipped as Kannon.
Seisuiji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Kanzeon Bosatsu (Taki no Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県栃木市大平町西山田3427
Visiting Status Open for viewing at all times
RefinementNobilityStillness
The Kannon Hall at Seisuiji Temple enshrines a wooden standing Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Kanzeon Bosatsu known as Taki no Kannon. An ink inscription found inside the image during conservation work in 1988 establishes that it was made in 1265, and the Tendai Buddhist organization in Tochigi identifies the sculptor as Kan'ami. This Kamakura-period Kannon has an elongated face with carved eyes, a byakugo on the forehead, and a necklace ornament cut from copper sheet on the chest. Long revered as Taki no Kannon, it serves as the principal image of the 26th temple of the Shimotsuke Bando Kannon pilgrimage. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1978, and Tochigi Prefecture lists it as open and viewable at all times.
Kosaiji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Senju Kannon Bosatsu by Enku Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県鹿沼市北赤塚町263
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (opened on the third Saturday of each month, 13:30–17:00; no reservation required; may be cancelled due to temple circumstances)
GentlenessWarmthPower
A wooden standing Senju Kannon Bosatsu carved by Enku is enshrined in a hall within the grounds of Kosaiji Temple. An ink inscription dates it to 1682, and its total height is 155.8 cm. Carved on the rounded face of a log split in half, the nearly symmetrical figure stands on a split lotus pedestal. Its gentle smile and Enku's distinctive hatchet-carving technique, extending to the small Buddha figures and attributes held by the auxiliary arms, are notable features. It is a Tangible Cultural Property of Kanuma City. The image is thought to have been carved in Nikko after the Tachiki Kannon of Chuzenji and transferred to Kosaiji around the Bunka era (1804–1818). It is opened on the third Saturday of each month from 13:30 to 17:00 and can be viewed without a reservation.
Kannonji Temple (Sano Daibutsu)
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Amida Nyorai (Sano Daibutsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県佐野市金井上町2237
Visiting Status Open for worship (management office 10:00–16:30; closed Mon and Thu)
WarmthGentlenessSolemnity
The Sano Daibutsu is a bronze seated Amida Nyorai enshrined in front of the main hall at Kannonji Temple. It was erected in 1669, in the early Edo period, as a Tenmyo cast-metal image commissioned in hopes of restoring the Sano family, and was jointly made by three metal casters. Donations came from a wide range of people connected with the Sano family. The image survived wartime metal requisition during World War II and remains today. It is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Sano City and is also affectionately known as the “Daibutsu of Good Connections.” The temple lists management-office hours as 10:00–16:30, closed Mondays and Thursdays.
Daiouji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県大田原市黒羽田町450
Visiting Status Advance contact required for indoor viewing
DignityGentlenessDepth
A wooden standing Sho Kannon Bosatsu is enshrined at the front of the sutra repository at Daiouji Temple. Dating to the Kamakura period, it is 165 cm high with a 7.5 cm pedestal. The head is joined behind the ears and fitted with crystal eyes; the torso is made from front and back sections joined along the sides, while the arms and hands are separate pieces. Although its original lacquer gilding has largely disappeared over the centuries, the statue retains a weighty form, skilled carving, and a compassionate face with an underlying sense of strength. It was originally enshrined in the Kannon Hall of Kiichiji Temple and was transferred to Daiouji after that hall deteriorated in the Meiji period. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1963. Indoor viewing is available with advance contact.
Nikkozan Rinnoji Onsenji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県日光市湯元2559
Visiting Status Open for worship during the hot-spring season (2026 season opens Apr 11; reception 8:00–16:00, day-use bathing/rest until 17:00; closing date should be confirmed in advance)
PeacefulnessMysteryDepth
The principal image of Onsenji, a branch temple of Nikkozan Rinnoji, is Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai. According to Rinnoji, Shodo Shonin discovered the Yumoto hot spring in 788 and enshrined Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha who relieves illness, marking the temple’s origin. The former Yakushido was crushed by a huge boulder in a landslide caused by a typhoon in 1966, but the principal image survived unharmed atop the fallen boulder. In 1973, the temple was rebuilt as Onsenji at its present site near the hot-spring source. It remains a rare temple in Japan where devotion to Yakushi is linked with devotional retreat at the hot spring. In 2026, the hot-spring season opened on April 11, and worship is available during the open season.
Jurinji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県栃木市岩舟町小野寺1133-1
Visiting Status Open to the public
PeacefulnessRefinementDepth
Jurinji Temple enshrines a wooden seated Amida Nyorai as its principal image. Ink inscriptions on the back and other parts show that work began in 1183 and was completed in 1184, placing the statue at the transition from the late Heian to the early Kamakura period. Made of hinoki cypress with lacquer gilding and crystal eyes, it sits cross-legged and forms the raigo mudra. Its downcast, calm facial features and shallow, orderly drapery retain late-Heian characteristics, while the broad shoulders anticipate a newer style. Tochigi Prefecture notes it as one of the earliest known uses of crystal eyes in the Kanto region. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1983 and is listed as open to the public, offering a rare chance to see an Amida image from this major stylistic transition.
Soshinji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県芳賀郡芳賀町大字稲毛田1400
Visiting Status Viewable at any time (advance contact preferred)
NobilitySolemnityMystery
Soshinji Temple preserves a wooden seated Dainichi Nyorai. Tochigi Prefecture identifies it as a Taizokai Dainichi Nyorai, 81 cm high, with the uncommon feature of forming the meditation mudra. Dainichi Nyorai is represented in bodhisattva form wearing a jeweled crown, ornaments, and celestial robes, and this image displays those characteristics. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1971. Its public-access status is listed as “viewable at any time; advance contact preferred,” while the Haga Town Tourism Association lists Soshinji’s viewing hours as 8:00–17:00 with no regular closing day.
Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Nyoirin Kanzeon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県芳賀郡益子町大字益子2935
Visiting Status Open to the public
NobilityRefinementMystery
Kannonji Temple enshrines a wooden seated Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu as its principal image. Mashiko Town dates the statue to the Muromachi period and records a height of 91 cm, shoulder width of 38 cm, knee span of 61 cm, and pedestal height of 64 cm. It is a joined-wood image with carved eyes. The figure reclines the left leg, raises the right knee, rests the right elbow on it, and places the palm against the cheek in a contemplative pose. The jeweled crown, ornaments, and halo are carved with exceptional refinement. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1969. Tochigi Prefecture lists it as open to the public, and it remains the principal image of the 30th temple of the Kanto 88 Temple Pilgrimage.
Saikoin Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県佐野市赤見町1148
Visiting Status Advance contact required
NobilityDignityDepth
Saikoin Temple preserves a wooden seated Dainichi Nyorai. Tochigi Prefecture dates this Kongokai Dainichi Nyorai to the mid-11th century in the Heian period and notes that it forms the chiken-in mudra. Carved from hinoki cypress, the head, torso, and upper arms are formed from a single block; the back is split from the nape to the base and hollowed out. The figure wears a high topknot and crown band, with finely incised hair falling over both shoulders, an iconographic form described as unique within the prefecture. It is considered the work of a local Buddhist sculptor and was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1991. Advance contact is required for viewing.
Mokujikido (Tojiin Yakushido)
Buddhist Image Wooden Yakushi Triad and Twelve Divine Generals (15 Mokujiki statues) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県鹿沼市栃窪766
Visiting Status Open on the first Sunday of January, April, and August, 9:00–12:00
PowerWarmthDepth
A group of 15 wooden statues by Mokujiki (Gyodo) preserved at Mokujikido in Tochikubo, Kanuma: the Yakushi Triad and Twelve Divine Generals. Kanuma City dates them to 1780 and states that the group consists of Yakushi Nyorai, Nikko Bosatsu, Gakko Bosatsu, and the Twelve Divine Generals. The back of the Yakushi statue bears an ink inscription including the names Mokujiki and his disciple Byakudo. They are early works from the period when Mokujiki, aged 63, stayed in Tochikubo for about five months. Kanuma City notes that this is the only place where 15 statues carved by Mokujiki remain together in this way. They are open to visitors on the first Sunday of January, April, and August from 9:00 to 12:00.
Ozeki Kannon Hall
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Sho Kannon Bosatsu (Ozeki Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県宇都宮市西刑部町1265
Visiting Status Open to the public (advance contact required)
PowerDignityDepth
Ozeki Kannon Hall in Nishiosakabe, Utsunomiya, enshrines a wooden standing Sho Kannon Bosatsu. Tochigi Prefecture describes it as an outstanding large Buddhist image from the Heian period. The statue is 245 cm high, carved primarily from a single block of kaya wood with separate arms, and has carved eyes. It holds a lotus in the left hand, twists the waist to the right, bends the left knee slightly, and appears to step forward, giving the whole figure a dynamic quality. Its broad cheeks and jaw and the fullness of the chest convey notable strength. Locally it has long been known as “Ozeki Kannon.” It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1958 and underwent restoration in 1980. It is open to the public, but advance contact is required for viewing.
Manganji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県河内郡上三川町大字東汗1105
Visiting Status Advance contact required
PeacefulnessRefinementStillness
Manganji Temple preserves a wooden seated Amida Nyorai. According to Kaminokawa Town, the statue dates to the late Heian period and measures 84 cm in height, 31.6 cm across the shoulders, and 74.6 cm across the knees. It is a joined-wood image with lacquer gilding and carved eyes. Its small, finely formed spiral curls, slightly downturned half-open eyes, full round face, small mouth, and hands forming the meditation mudra over the lap are characteristic of the Jocho style. The broad chest and shallow, orderly robe folds also express the calm sculptural character of the late Heian period, and parts of the halo and pedestal survive from the original period. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1967. Advance contact is required for viewing.
Henjoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県真岡市中2402
Visiting Status Worship only
PowerDignityRefinement
Henjoji Temple preserves a wooden seated Dainichi Nyorai. Tochigi Prefecture identifies it as a Kamakura-period Kongokai Dainichi Nyorai forming the chiken-in mudra, measuring 51.0 cm in height, 45.0 cm across the knees, with a pedestal 33.0 cm high. A 25-character inscription on the bottom of the statue records the sculptor and the date of eye-opening, and the sculptor is identified as Koyo, a Buddhist sculptor in the lineage of Unkei. Its intellectual, strong-willed expression and richly modeled, substantial body display the realistic character of Kamakura sculpture. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1961. Tochigi Prefecture lists the viewing status as “worship only.”
Saihoji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Standing Amida Triad (Zenkoji Style) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県那須烏山市月次609
Visiting Status Open at all times
PeacefulnessRefinementSolemnity
Saihoji Temple preserves a bronze standing Amida triad in the Zenkoji style. According to Tochigi Prefecture, it is traditionally said to imitate the principal image of Zenkoji Temple in Nagano, and stylistic features such as the gaze of Amida Nyorai suggest a date around the end of the Kamakura period. The central Amida figure is 44.5 cm high. The triad was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1990. Tochigi Prefecture lists it as open at all times.
Jochinji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
栃木県芳賀郡芳賀町西水沼1236
Visiting Status Viewable during visiting hours (advance contact preferred; 10:00–15:00)
NobilityDignitySolemnity
Jochinji Temple preserves a bronze seated Dainichi Nyorai. According to Tochigi Prefecture, it is a Kongokai Dainichi Nyorai forming the chiken-in mudra and measures 87 cm in height. It wears an openwork metal crown and bracelets on the upper and lower arms, and traces remain on the back where a halo was once attached. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tochigi Prefecture in 1977. Tochigi Prefecture lists it as viewable with advance contact preferred, while official Haga Town and Tochigi Prefecture tourism information gives viewing hours of 10:00–15:00.
Anyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Gilt-Bronze Standing Kannon and Seishi Bodhisattvas (Attendants of a Zenkoji-style Triad) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
栃木県芳賀郡茂木町茂木754
Visiting Status Advance contact required
NobilityRefinementSolemnity
Anyoji Temple preserves gilt-bronze standing images of Kannon and Seishi Bodhisattvas. Dating to the Kamakura period, both figures are 33.5 cm high and were made as attendants of a Zenkoji-style triad. They have byakugo, carved eyes, solar-disc halos, and octagonal crowns decorated with ornate hosoge arabesque patterns; the Nyorai image and water-vase emblems on the fronts of the crowns distinguish Kannon from Seishi. The Seishi figure bears traces of fire damage, and Tochigi Prefecture explains that the hand gestures of both images were later altered to a raigo form. They were designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Tochigi Prefecture in 1959. Advance contact with Anyoji is required for viewing.