Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Hachimanzan Muryoin Senpukuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Tathagata and Attendant Statues (Kannon and Seishi Bodhisattvas) Category Tathagata / Bodhisattva
埼玉県比企郡滑川町大字和泉1681
Visiting Status Advance application required (apply to the Namegawa Town Board of Education about one month before the desired date; viewing is accompanied by town staff and canceled in rain)
RefinementPeacefulnessDepth
Senpukuji Temple's wooden seated Amida Tathagata is an Important Cultural Property of Japan thought to date from the late Heian to early Kamakura period. The 84.3 cm image preserves the elegant sculptural tradition associated with Jocho, the leading Buddhist sculptor of the late Heian period, and an inscription inside records repairs in 1254. It is flanked by standing Kannon and Seishi Bodhisattvas, 105.8 cm and 105.6 cm tall, both designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Saitama Prefecture, allowing the three figures to be viewed together as an Amida triad. Viewing is not freely available, but visitors may apply to the Namegawa Town Board of Education about one month in advance and see the images in the storehouse accompanied by town staff. This makes the temple a particularly worthwhile destination for viewing important historic Buddhist sculptures in their local setting.
Kobuchizan Shokenji Kannon-in Temple
Buddhist Image Hidden Principal Image: Sho Kannon Bosatsu (Wooden Standing Bosatsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
埼玉県春日部市小渕1634
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled only once every 60 years in a Hinoe-uma (Fire Horse) year; special unveiling September 19–October 4, 2026)
MysteryNobilitySolemnity
Kobuchizan Kannon-in's principal image, Sho Kannon Bodhisattva, is a hidden wooden standing bodhisattva unveiled only once every 60 years in a Hinoe-uma (Fire Horse) year. The temple regards it as a wooden image possibly dating to the Asuka period. It stands with a high coiffure, the left arm bent and the right arm gently lowered, and is identified as an image of Kannon. According to the temple tradition recorded in Kobuchizan Honzonki, the image appeared among reeds on the bank of the Tone River during a flood in 1258 and later attracted widespread devotion through accounts of miraculous efficacy. In 2026, a Hinoe-uma year, the image will receive a special unveiling from September 19 through October 4. It is the temple's emblematic principal image, and this unveiling offers an exceptionally rare opportunity to see it.
Goanzan Konjoin Temple (Yamaguchi Kannon)
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Thousand-Armed Kannon (Ura Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
埼玉県所沢市上山口2203
Visiting Status Open to general worship (the Ura Kannon can be viewed when visiting the temple)
GentlenessRefinementDepth
Konjoin Temple (Yamaguchi Kannon) preserves this wooden Thousand-Armed Kannon as the “Ura Kannon,” distinct from the hidden principal image that is unveiled only once every 33 years. Designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokorozawa City, the cypress statue is made in joined-block construction and measures 77.2 cm in total height. Its gentle face, flowing robe lines and relatively full modeling of the waist retain features of the late-Heian Fujiwara style, while the facial modeling, handling of the body and use of crystal eyes indicate a date in the Kamakura period. It is regarded as one of the oldest Buddhist images in Tokorozawa. Unlike the hidden principal image, the Ura Kannon can be seen by ordinary visitors, combining the quality of an important old sculpture with reliable accessibility.
Jurinji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Kongo Rikishi Guardian Statues (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
埼玉県秩父郡小鹿野町小鹿野1823
Visiting Status Open to general worship (enshrined in the Niomon Gate and viewable during a visit to the temple grounds)
PowerDignitySolemnity
Jurinji Temple’s wooden Kongo Rikishi guardians stand in the Niomon Gate as a pair measuring 187.7 cm for Agyo and 187.0 cm for Ungyo. Designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Saitama Prefecture, both statues date to the Muromachi period and are made of cypress in joined-block construction, with carved eyes and polychrome decoration. They still stand on either side of the gate in their complementary open- and closed-mouth forms and can be seen by visitors entering the temple grounds. At nearly 1.9 meters tall, the pair offers an accessible encounter with substantial historic guardian sculpture rather than a hidden image.
Komasan Shoden-in Shorakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Fudo Myo-o with Two Attendants (Kongara Doji and Seitaka Doji) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
埼玉県日高市新堀990-1
Visiting Status Usually open for worship (8:00–17:00, last admission 16:30; admission fee required)
DignityPowerSolemnity
The principal image of Shoden-in's Main Hall is a wooden seated Fudo Myo-o designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Hidaka City. Inscriptions found inside the statue record that it was made in 1580 by the Kamakura Buddhist sculptor Okura Hogen. The Fudo image is 38 cm tall and contains a small standing Fudo traditionally attributed to Kobo Daishi. In 1624, attendant statues of Kongara Doji, 45 cm tall, and Seitaka Doji, 45.6 cm tall, were newly made to form the present triad. The temple's official site lists the Main Hall image as its principal deity and gives visiting hours of 8:00–17:00, with last admission at 16:30. The date of each figure is documented, and the sculptor of the central Fudo is known; the triad remains accessible during regular visiting hours.
Choeiji Temple
Buddhist Image Large Wooden Enma Daio Statue with Red Lacquer Category Other
埼玉県所沢市牛沼52
Visiting Status Viewable during a visit to the temple grounds (visible through the window of the Enma Hall)
DignityPowerMystery
Choeiji Temple’s Enma Hall houses a large wooden statue of Enma Daio finished in red lacquer and measuring about 290 cm in height. Tokorozawa City and the local tourism association describe it as the largest wooden Enma statue in the Kanto region. The statue was formerly kept at the now-defunct Gonjoji Temple in Ushinuma Yanagihara and is said to have been moved to its present location in the early Meiji period. It remains enshrined in the Enma Hall today and can be viewed through the hall window. At nearly three meters high, it is one of Tokorozawa’s most distinctive destinations for encountering Buddhist sculpture in person.
Dairinzan Untoin Tenryuji Temple (Nenogongen)
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
埼玉県飯能市南461
Visiting Status Open for regular worship (9:00–17:00; until 16:00 in winter; viewable from the outer sanctuary of the Main Hall)
PowerDignityDepth
The wooden standing Fudo Myo-o on the left-side altar of the Main Hall at Nenogongen Tenryuji is a Tangible Cultural Property of Hanno City. Carved from a single block of wood, it stands 101.7 cm high. Centuries of incense smoke from goma rituals have darkened its surface, making its wrathful expression appear even more severe, while its rounded face, full-bodied proportions and simple drapery preserve features of the Fujiwara style. It is considered a Heian-period image dating to no later than around the 12th century; the arms and lower legs are later replacements. The statue remains in the Main Hall of Nenogongen, famous for prayers for healthy legs and hips, and can be viewed from the outer sanctuary during normal visiting hours.
Muryozan Joko-in Daikyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Thousand-Armed Kannon by Enku Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
埼玉県八潮市大字八條3877
Visiting Status Hidden image (in 2026 it was unveiled April 10–20, the first opening in six years; check for future dates)
MysteryPowerDepth
The wooden standing Thousand-Armed Kannon in Daikyoji Temple's Kannon Hall is a monumental work by Enku, thought to have been carved around 1668, and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Saitama Prefecture. At 243 cm high, it is the largest Enku Buddha image in Saitama and one of the exceptionally large surviving works by the sculptor nationwide. Eleven faces are carved on the head, while four large hands at the front and 24 additional arms symbolize the deity's thousand arms. Its construction is equally unusual: the lower body reuses halved zelkova mortars stacked vertically, while the upper body is made from cedar. The statue is a hidden image; in 2026 it was unveiled from April 10 to 20 for the first time in six years. Its scale and Enku's distinctive carving make it one of Saitama's most remarkable Buddhist images.
Chokokuji Temple
Buddhist Image Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
115 Akata Aza Uedahyo, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Open to visitors at all times (the Great Buddha Hall may be entered freely)
SolemnityGentlenessDignity
Enshrined in the Great Buddha Hall of Chokokuji Temple, this standing image of Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu is affectionately known as the Akata Daibutsu. Zezan Taikaku vowed to create the image in 1784, inspired by the Hasedera temples in Nara and Kamakura, and the first statue was completed in 1786. After it was destroyed by fire in 1888, the present statue was restored in 1892 and consecrated in 1896. The 7.878-meter-tall wooden statue is covered in gold leaf and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Yurihonjo City. The Great Buddha Hall itself is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan, and visitors may freely enter the hall to worship.
Ontokuji Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Nyorai, Kannon Bosatsu and Seishi Bosatsu Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
11 Kamihanawa, Hanawa, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Open for viewing (advance confirmation recommended for viewing the Buddhist statues)
GentlenessDepthStillness
A wooden Amida triad preserved at Ontokuji Temple, with Amida Nyorai at the center and Kannon Bosatsu and Seishi Bosatsu on either side. All three statues are made of joined hinoki cypress wood and finished with lacquer and gold leaf. They depict the raigo scene in which Amida and the two bodhisattvas descend from the Pure Land to welcome believers, and are believed to have been created by a Buddhist sculptor from the capital in the late Kamakura period. Temple tradition says that an attendant of a warrior from Kazuno who died in the Genpei War brought the statues back from Sanuki Province to pray for his master’s repose. The central Amida image is also known as the “Black Buddha” and has long been worshipped with the belief that touching the same part of the statue as an afflicted part of the body may bring healing. The triad is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Akita Prefecture.
Zenryoji Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
6-5-30 Yabase Honcho, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Advance confirmation required (enshrined inside the Main Hall)
SolemnityRefinementStillness
A seated bronze image of Amida Nyorai enshrined in the Main Hall of Zenryoji Temple. This large cast-bronze Buddha was made by separately casting the head, body, both knees and both hands, then joining the parts in a method resembling the joined-block technique used for wooden Buddhist statues. While retaining stylistic features of the late Heian period, the treatment of the robes and body suggests that it was created during the Kamakura period. Most gilt-bronze Buddhist images of the time were small, making a large-scale image of a Nyorai such as this extremely rare. It is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
Dairyuji Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
34 Toyaba, Funagawaminato Funagawa, Oga City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Open to visitors (daily, 9:00–16:00; donation 500 yen)
StillnessPeacefulnessSolemnity
Shakamuni Buddha is enshrined as the principal image of Dairyuji Temple, a Soto Zen temple standing on a hill overlooking the Oga Peninsula and the Sea of Japan. The temple is also known for its garden and temple buildings, and numerous Buddhist statues, including images of Kannon Bosatsu, are enshrined throughout the grounds. At Ryuo-den, a pagoda that also serves as a bell tower, visitors may ring the large temple bell. Dairyuji offers a peaceful setting where visitors can experience both Buddhist statues and the atmosphere of a Zen temple. Located about a seven-minute walk from Oga Station, the temple welcomes visitors throughout the year.
Yudonosan Ryusenji Temple
Buddhist Image Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
7-23 Seisukemachi, Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (reserve by phone or direct message before visiting)
PowerMysteryDepth
A wooden standing image of Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu preserved at Yudonosan Ryusenji Temple. It is believed to be an early work by Enku, the Edo-period monk who traveled throughout Japan carving numerous Buddhist statues. The simple yet powerful form, with bold chisel marks left visible in the wood, displays distinctive characteristics of Enku’s Buddhist sculpture. The image is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Akita Prefecture. Ryusenji also preserves other important Buddhist images, including a gilt-bronze standing statue of Yakushi Nyorai dating from the Kamakura period.
Seiganji Temple
Buddhist Image Senju Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
69 Shironoshita, Kemanai, Towada, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Hidden Buddhist image (unveiled every year on May 17)
GentlenessSolemnityMystery
A wooden image of Senju Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu enshrined in the Kannon Hall of Seiganji Temple. According to tradition, a woman named Katsume, who worked in ore dressing at the Shirane gold mine, invited the image of Senju Kannon together with fellow believers. The statue is made using the joined-block technique, coated with lacquer and decorated with gold leaf. Apart from the two hands joined in prayer, the many arms hold various ritual objects, and the figure is backed by a circular halo. The carefully crafted image preserves the style of the early Edo period and stands 106 cm tall. In 1725, it was moved to its present location together with the Kannon Hall. It is now kept as a hidden Buddhist image of Seiganji Temple and is unveiled every year on May 17. It is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Kazuno City.
Fudenji Temple
Buddhist Image Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
4-5-37 Omachi, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Advance confirmation recommended
PowerDignityTense Presence
A wooden seated image of Fudo Myoo enshrined as the principal image of Fudenji Temple. Known as the “Yakuyoke Fudo,” or Fudo for protection against misfortune, the statue is said to preserve the style of Unkei, the renowned Buddhist sculptor of the Kamakura period. Fudenji was founded in the early 1600s by Yugen, a monk who had also served as a warrior of the Satake clan, with Satake Yoshinobu, lord of the Akita Domain, regarded as its founder. The statue is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Akita City and is worshipped as the principal image of the seventh temple of the Tohoku Thirty-Six Fudo Pilgrimage.
Myokakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Enmei Jizo Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
4-45 Kyokuhoku Teramachi, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Open to visitors at all times (temple grounds open daily from 5:00)
WarmthPeacefulnessStillness
A large image of Enmei Jizo Bosatsu enshrined in the grounds of Myokakuji Temple. Also known as the “Great Buddha of Myokakuji,” it is introduced as one of the three great Buddha statues of Akita Prefecture, together with the Kamanosawa Daibutsu in Kitaakita and the Akata Daibutsu in Yurihonjo. Located in Akita City’s historic temple district, the grounds are open to visitors throughout the year. An annual festival is also held before the Enmei Jizo Bosatsu, and the statue continues to be worshipped by the local community.
Shirotsusan Shoboin Temple
Buddhist Image Joroku Enmei Jizo Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
45 Ienominami, Kamanosawa, Kitaakita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Open to visitors at all times (temple gate always open)
GentlenessSolemnityDignity
Enshrined in the Great Buddha Hall of Shirotsusan Shoboin Temple, this large image of Enmei Jizo Bosatsu is affectionately known as the “Kamanosawa Daibutsu.” The 4.82-meter-tall wooden statue is made using the joined-block technique and is depicted in a half-seated posture. It is counted among the three great Buddha statues of Akita Prefecture. An inscription preserved inside the face indicates that the statue was created in 1745 by a sculptor named Kuranosuke. It is also known as the “Sweating Jizo” and the “Bullet-Protecting Jizo,” and has long been worshipped for protection from epidemics, longevity and good fortune, family prosperity, safe childbirth, and healthy child-rearing. It is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Kitaakita City and may be freely worshipped in the Great Buddha Hall.
Unshoji Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
57 Kitaura, Kitaura, Oga City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Open to visitors (normally 9:00–17:00)
StillnessPurityPeacefulness
Shakamuni Buddha is enshrined as the principal image of Unshoji Temple in the northern part of the Oga Peninsula. The statue is preserved in the Main Hall, which was built during the Edo period, and an inscription indicates that it was created by a Buddhist sculptor from Osaka. Unshoji is widely known for the blue hydrangeas that fill its grounds and attracts many visitors each year. In addition to the principal image, Buddhist statues such as Ryuto Kannon Bosatsu, Monju Bosatsu, and Jizo can also be found throughout the temple grounds, allowing visitors to enjoy both the flowers and Buddhist images during their visit.
Akagami Shrine Goshado
Buddhist Image Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
35 Haraikawa, Honzanmonzen, Funagawaminato, Oga City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Normally not open to the public (opened to the public once a year; date should be confirmed in advance)
GentlenessMysteryDepth
A wooden standing image of Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu by the Edo-period monk Enku, enshrined in the Marodo Gongen Hall of Akagami Shrine Goshado. Carved from a single board of Japanese linden, the statue stands 171 cm tall. Bold chisel marks remain visible throughout the figure, while its gentle expression and balanced form show characteristics of Enku’s early style. The image is well preserved and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Akita Prefecture as an important work reflecting Enku’s activity in Akita and the development of his style. Goshado stands beyond a legendary flight of 999 stone steps said to have been built by demons in a single night and is deeply connected with the Namahage traditions of Oga.
Kanmanji Temple
Buddhist Image Kongo Rikishi (Nio) Category Tenbu (Deva)
2 Kisakatajima, Kisakatamachi, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Open to visitors (8:00–17:00)
PowerDignityTense Presence
A pair of Kongo Rikishi statues enshrined at the temple gate of Kanmanji Temple. According to temple tradition, Kanmanji was founded in 853 by the monk Ennin, also known as Jikaku Daishi. The temple is also known as a place visited by the haiku poet Matsuo Basho during his journey recorded in Oku no Hosomichi. The temple gate, believed to date from the Edo period, houses a pair of Nio statues said to have been donated by the Ikoma family, lords of the Yashima Domain. Standing guard at the entrance, the powerful figures continue to watch over this historic temple in Kisakata. The temple grounds are open to the public and also contain monuments associated with Basho and Shinran.