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Manishuzan Io-in Matsumushi-dera Temple
Buddhist Image Seven Yakushi Nyorai Images (one seated and six standing wooden figures) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県印西市松虫7
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (formal unveiling every 33 years)
RefinementDepthMystery
Matsumushi-dera's principal image, known as the Seven Yakushi, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property consisting of one seated wooden Yakushi Nyorai at the center with three standing Yakushi figures on each side. While the seven Buddhas are usually represented on a halo, this arrangement of a seated figure with six independent standing images is exceptionally rare; Inzai City notes that old examples of this type survive only here and at Keisoku-ji in Shiga Prefecture. All seven are unpainted single-block kaya-wood sculptures. The seated central image is 54.3 cm tall and each standing figure about 38 cm. Their closely shared style and facial features indicate that they were made as a single group by the same sculptor, probably in the late Heian period. They are now housed in the Ruriko-den, which also serves as a storage facility. In addition to the formal unveiling held every 33 years, visitors wishing to view the images may do so by advance reservation.
Heiyasan Kozo-ji Temple (Takakura Kannon)
Buddhist Image Sho Kanzeon Bosatsu (Principal Image) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
千葉県木更津市矢那1245
Visiting Status The principal image can be viewed in full at all times on the Kannon Pure Land Tour (9:00–16:00 / paid; temple office 8:00–17:00)
SolemnityGentlenessMystery
Kozo-ji's principal Sho Kanzeon Bodhisattva is a monumental 3.6-meter Kannon carved from a single camphor tree. The main hall, rebuilt in 1526, has a distinctive raised floor 2.45 meters high supported by 88 pillars. Visitors can enter beneath it and look up at the full body of the principal image, formerly kept hidden. The temple is the 30th stop of the Bando 33 Kannon pilgrimage and is widely known as Takakura Kannon, especially for prayers concerning marriage and children.
Ryusui-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Kongo Rikishi Statues (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
千葉県印西市滝1009
Visiting Status Viewable during a regular temple visit (listed as publicly viewable by Inzai City)
PowerDignityTense Presence
Ryusui-ji's pair of wooden Kongo Rikishi are designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Chiba Prefecture. The Agyo figure is a 230 cm single-block pine sculpture, while the 235 cm Ungyo figure is made of pine in joined-block construction. Agyo raises a vajra, while Ungyo assumes a more restrained stance. Their wrathful expressions, musculature and swirling garments are powerful without excessive exaggeration, and the style is considered to date from the late Kamakura period. The guardian pair can be viewed at the Nio Gate during a regular temple visit.
Tenrinzan Saifuku-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
千葉県印西市小林1615
Visiting Status Unveiled every August 12 (displayed in the main hall during the morning service)
PowerDignityTense Presence
Saifuku-ji's wooden standing Fudo Myoo is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture together with a wooden standing Bishamonten. About 62 cm tall, it is made by split-and-joined construction, fitted with crystal eyes and coated in black lacquer. Holding a three-pronged sword in the right hand and a lasso in the left, the figure twists at the waist as it stands on a rock base, creating a powerful sense of movement. An inscription inside names the sculptor Kenko, and the forceful face and substantial body reflect the style of the late Kamakura period. Normally kept inside a shrine cabinet, the image is unveiled in the main hall during the morning service every August 12.
Tamon-in Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Bishamonten and Two Attendant Statues Category Tenbu (Deva)
千葉県印西市松崎396
Visiting Status Unveiled every year on the last Saturday of July
PowerDignityRefinement
Tamon-in's wooden Bishamonten and two attendants form a triad of Bishamonten, Kisshoten and Zennishi Doji and are designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Chiba Prefecture. Bishamonten stands on a demon, with his right hand at his waist and a halberd in his left, staring forward with a wrathful expression. Kisshoten wears Chinese-style robes and a petal-shaped crown, while Zennishi Doji wears the mizura hairstyle and smiles with his mouth open. Inscriptions inside the Bishamonten and Kisshoten identify the sculptor Kenko and date the group to 1289. Their realistic carving clearly reflects Kamakura-period Buddhist sculpture. The triad is unveiled every year on the last Saturday of July.
Shogaku-in Temple (Oshiji)
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県八千代市村上1530-1
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled once a year during the April Hana Matsuri)
RefinementNobilityDepth
Shogaku-in's wooden standing Shaka Nyorai is a Chiba Prefecture-designated Tangible Cultural Property in the Seiryoji style, modeled on the famous Shakyamuni image at Seiryo-ji in Kyoto. The 166 cm statue is made of kaya wood using joined-block construction. Distinctive features include rope-like spiral curls, a robe covering both shoulders up to the neck, and fine symmetrical wave-like folds descending from the chest to the feet. The right hand forms the fear-dispelling gesture and the left the wish-granting gesture. Repair plaques inside record restorations in 1546 and 1674, and the image is thought to date from the late Kamakura period. Normally hidden, it is unveiled once each year during the April Hana Matsuri.
Takakurayama Oyama-dera Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Fudo Myo-o with Two Standing Attendants Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
千葉県鴨川市平塚1718-1
Visiting Status Unveiled every January 1, February 3 for Setsubun, and during the April Hana Matsuri
PowerDignityDepth
Oyama-dera's wooden seated Fudo Myoo with two attendants is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Chiba Prefecture. The central Fudo is 86.5 cm tall and carved primarily from a single piece of kaya wood. He squints his left eye, glares with the right, bares asymmetrical fangs, holds a sword in the right hand and a lasso in the left, and sits cross-legged. Kongara Doji and Seitaka Doji stand to either side. All three retain an old single-block construction and combine a calm quality close to the Fujiwara style with more realistic treatment of the drapery, indicating a mid-Kamakura-period date. The triad is unveiled every New Year's Day, at the February 3 Setsubun festival, and during the April Hana Matsuri.
Raifuku-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県印西市平賀2146
Visiting Status Unveiled every July 7 during the Yakushison Daigoma ritual (normally kept off public view at the Inba Historical Folk Museum)
RefinementDepthPeacefulness
Raifuku-ji's wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Chiba Prefecture. The 56 cm statue is an unpainted single-block carving of kaya wood. Its broad hair mass and strongly waved hairline show the Song-inspired style fashionable in the late Kamakura period. The left hand holds a medicine jar, while the right faces outward as the Buddha sits cross-legged. An ink inscription inside the chest records that the sculptor Kenko made the image in 1285. It is normally stored out of public view at the Inba Historical Folk Museum, but each July 7 it returns to Raifuku-ji and is unveiled in the Yakushi Hall during the annual Yakushison Daigoma ritual.
Joto-ji Temple (Tokoyoda Yakushi)
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai (Tokoyoda Yakushi) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県銚子市常世田町53-1
Visiting Status Unveiled every January 8 (7:00–12:00; the same hours were used for the 2026 public viewing)
PeacefulnessRefinementNobility
Joto-ji's wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. The 140.9 cm image is made of joined hinoki wood and entirely covered with lacquer and gold leaf. Its fine spiral curls, downcast carved eyes, full face and graceful robe folds preserve the Jocho style of the late Heian period, and Choshi City describes it as a representative early-Kamakura example in the Kanto region. Revered locally as Tokoyoda Yakushi, it has long attracted prayers for recovery from eye ailments. The image is normally unveiled only once a year, every January 8; in 2026 it was open to the public from 7:00 to 12:00.
Tokaku-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Two Wooden Standing Yakushi Nyorai Images Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県銚子市岡野台町2-473
Visiting Status Unveiled every five years on July 11 (next scheduled for July 11, 2028)
PowerRefinementDepth
Tokaku-ji preserves two wooden standing Yakushi Nyorai images designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Chiba Prefecture. One is 147.2 cm tall, made of joined hinoki wood with an unpainted surface; the forceful treatment of the face and drapery shows an Unkei-influenced style and suggests a sculptor of the Kei school in the mid-Kamakura period. The second is 164.5 cm tall and likewise made of joined hinoki wood with an unpainted finish. Its spiral-pattern hair, low ushnisha and broad hair mass show the influence of later Song-style sculpture, and it is thought to have been made by another sculptor in the same workshop. Both are normally kept from public view and are unveiled on July 11 every five years; Choshi City lists the next opening as July 11, 2028.
Kigakuzan Kaiyu-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Reclining Shaka Nyorai (Mangi no Ne-Shaka) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県いすみ市万木133
Visiting Status Open for general viewing year-round; the statue can be viewed through the hall windows
PeacefulnessSolemnityDepth
Kaiyu-ji's bronze reclining Shaka Nyorai is a monumental 5.16-meter image designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture and popularly known as Mangi no Ne-Shaka. The statue was cast in several separate sections and is thought to have been assembled at the place where it was enshrined. Inscriptions inside the image and on the front of the robe include the date February 28, 1716, together with the names of more than a thousand participants in the dedication, including the monk who led the fundraising effort. These inscriptions preserve evidence of the breadth of local Buddhist devotion in the mid-Edo period. Today the full reclining figure, more than five meters long, can be viewed year-round through the windows of its hall.
Dainichi-do Hall, Yamada Daimon District
Buddhist Image Iron Buddhist Head (Head of a Bosatsu Image) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
千葉県いすみ市山田4047
Visiting Status Unveiled on the first Sunday of every month (10:00–15:00)
DignityMysteryDepth
The iron Buddhist head preserved at Dainichi-do in the Yamada Daimon district is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Chiba Prefecture. Although only the portion above the neck survives, the monumental Bodhisattva head measures 113 cm high; the crown of the head is missing. It was cast as a hollow cylinder in a single mold, with the front and back mold halves joined behind the ears, and the clean inner surface demonstrates highly accomplished casting. Isumi City describes it as the only surviving pre-Edo-period iron Buddhist image in Chiba Prefecture. It is unveiled from 10:00 to 15:00 on the first Sunday of every month, allowing regular public viewing of this extraordinary giant iron head.
Suzurisan Chofuku-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県いすみ市下布施757
Visiting Status Open for general viewing (listed as viewable by Isumi City)
PowerRefinementDepth
Chofuku-ji's wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Chiba Prefecture. The 101 cm image is carved from hinoki wood using a split-and-rejoined single-block technique and finished with lacquer and gold leaf. Its high ushnisha, slightly upturned eyes and powerfully modeled body retain archaic characteristics, and the statue is dated to the late Heian or early Kamakura period. Ink repair inscriptions record work in 1250 on the back of the knees and in 1638 inside the body. It is an important example for understanding early-Kamakura Buddhist sculpture in Chiba. Isumi City lists the image as open for public viewing, allowing visitors to encounter this historic Buddha at the temple.
Iinuma-san Enpuku-ji Temple (Iinuma Kannon)
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Amida Nyorai (Choshi Daibutsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県銚子市馬場町1-1
Visiting Status Open to general worship from the temple grounds (Iinuma Kannon 6:00–17:00; open daily)
DignityPowerSolemnity
The bronze seated Amida Nyorai in the grounds of Iinuma Kannon (Enpuku-ji), popularly known as the Choshi Daibutsu, is a large bronze Buddha erected in 1711. The seated figure is 305 cm high, with a 108 cm lotus pedestal. Choshi City describes it as an especially powerful example among surviving large cast Buddhas of the Edo period, with distinctive casting techniques. The statue bears the names of about 2,200 donors and participants, including temple affiliates, village officials, individuals and nenbutsu groups, preserving evidence of the breadth of local devotion at the time. Today it stands in front of the main hall of Iinuma Kannon and can be worshipped at close range during the temple grounds' opening hours.
Kamagaya Daibutsu
Buddhist Image Kamagaya Daibutsu (Seated Shaka Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県鎌ケ谷市鎌ケ谷1-5
Visiting Status Open to general worship year-round (open daily)
RefinementDepthPeacefulness
Kamagaya Daibutsu is an open-air seated Shaka Nyorai, 1.8 meters high, cast in 1776. It was commissioned by Bun'emon of the wealthy Daikokuya (Fukuda) family of Kamagaya-juku to memorialize his ancestors and made by the Edo-Kanda caster Tagawa Shuzen. It became Kamagaya City's first designated cultural property and was also selected for the 500 Attractions of Boso. Records of the consecration ceremony describe more than 50 monks and meals for 300 people prepared by the renowned Edo restaurant Yaozen, reflecting the prosperity of the former post town. Today the statue is about a one-minute walk from Kamagaya-Daibutsu Station and can be worshipped year-round; the fact that the station itself bears the name 'Daibutsu' shows how deeply the image is rooted in the community.
Namegawayama Ryusho-in Temple (Namegawa Kannon)
Buddhist Image Eleven-Headed Kannon (Principal Image / Namegawa Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
千葉県成田市滑川1196
Visiting Status Open to general worship in the main hall (March–October 8:00–17:00; November–February 8:00–16:00). The 3.6 cm principal image is enshrined inside a larger Kannon image about 3.6 meters tall.
MysteryPeacefulnessSolemnity
Ryusho-in's principal image is a tiny Eleven-Headed Kannon measuring one sun two bu (about 3.6 cm), enshrined inside a larger Kannon image about one jo two shaku tall, traditionally attributed to Jocho. Known as Namegawa Kannon, it is the devotional focus of the 28th temple of the Bando 33 Kannon pilgrimage, traditionally founded by Jikaku Daishi in 838. It has long been revered for longevity, good fortune, safe childbirth and healthy child-rearing. Because the small principal image is housed within the larger Kannon, visitors worship the larger image in the main hall as the container of the hidden principal image.
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple
Buddhist Image Five Wisdom Kings (Fudo Myo-o, Gozanze Myo-o, Gundari Myo-o, Daiitoku Myo-o and Kongoyasha Myo-o) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
千葉県成田市成田1
Visiting Status Open to general worship during a visit to the temple grounds (Myo-o Hall on the 2nd floor of the Great Pagoda of Peace)
PowerDignitySolemnity
Naritasan Shinshoji's Great Pagoda of Peace was built in 1984 and rises 58 meters, embodying the worldview of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. On the second floor, the Myo-o Hall enshrines the pagoda's principal image, Fudo Myoo, together with the four other Wisdom Kings: Gozanze, Gundari, Daiitoku and Kongoyasha, forming the Five Wisdom Kings. Naritasan's official guide presents the richly colored hall, Showa Mandala and paintings of the Shingon patriarchs as a unified expression of the esoteric Buddhist world, and its group-visit guide calls the hall a masterpiece of Buddhist art. Separate from the principal Fudo image in the Great Main Hall, this is one of the strongest visual and devotional spaces in the complex for seeing the Five Wisdom Kings together.
Suwazan Shogon-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon (Principal Image) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
千葉県香取市佐原イ1110
Visiting Status Open to general worship in the main hall (goshuin are generally available 9:00–16:00)
DignitySolemnityDepth
Shogon-ji's principal image is a monumental wooden standing Eleven-Headed Kannon, 3.25 meters high and designated a national Important Cultural Property. Primarily carved from a single block of zelkova wood, it preserves early-Heian features in its solemn face and distinctive wave-pattern drapery, and is dated to around the late 9th or early 10th century. The image was originally the principal Buddha of Kongobo-ji, the former Buddhist temple associated with Katori Jingu, and was moved to Shogon-ji after the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in the early Meiji period. A repair plaque inside records restoration in 1700 under the patronage of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. It is now enshrined in Shogon-ji's main hall within walking distance of Sawara Station, and the temple's official site welcomes visitors to pray before the principal image. The opportunity to worship a Heian-period statue over three meters tall on site makes this one of Chiba's most compelling Buddhist images.
Komagata Kannon Hall (Naganuma Kannon)
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Amida Nyorai (Naganuma Komagata Daibutsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
千葉県千葉市稲毛区長沼町28
Visiting Status Open to the public in the grounds of Komagata Kannon Hall
DignityDepthWarmth
Naganuma Komagata Daibutsu is a 2.36-meter bronze seated Amida Nyorai enshrined in the grounds of Komagata Kannon Hall. An inscription on the statue records that it was cast in 1703 by the metal caster Hashimoto Isaemon Fujiwara Shigehiro. The head was made using a split-mold casting technique, while separately cast sections of the body were joined together. Chiba City regards it as one of the prefecture's notable surviving examples of a large cast-bronze Buddha from the Edo period. The names of village nenbutsu groups that donated funds for its construction are inscribed on the back, preserving evidence of the breadth of local devotion. Chiba City lists the statue as publicly viewable, and it can still be worshipped in the grounds of Komagata Kannon Hall.
Shuryuzan Tofuku-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Kongo Rikishi Statues (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
千葉県流山市鰭ケ崎1033
Visiting Status Viewable during a regular temple visit at the Nio Gate
PowerDignityTense Presence
The wooden Kongo Rikishi statues at the Nio Gate of Tofuku-ji in Hiregasaki, Nagareyama, form a pair of Agyo and Ungyo guardians designated as Tangible Cultural Properties by Nagareyama City. The city dates them to the Edo period and lists them among the temple's representative sculptural cultural properties. The official Nagareyama tourism association also introduces the large Kongo Rikishi as a highlight of the temple grounds, and a city-organized historical walking tour included viewing the statues. The Thousand Buddha Hall is normally closed to the public, but these guardian figures can be seen at the Nio Gate during a regular temple visit, offering a close view of powerful Buddhist protector images at the temple entrance.