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Rinsaiji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
石川県白山市白峰イ68
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (9:00–16:00 / closed Tuesdays / donation required)
NobilityDepthSolemnity
This gilt-bronze standing Eleven-Faced Kannon is displayed in the Hakusan Gezanbutsu Hall at Rinsaiji Temple. It is one of the Buddhist images once enshrined on the summit of Mount Hakusan and was brought down to the foothills when the statues faced destruction during the Meiji-period separation of Buddhism and Shinto. Tradition says it was donated by Fujiwara no Hidehira of Oshu. It is a rare and exceptionally large gilt-bronze Buddhist image from an era when wood carving had become dominant and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
Buzaiin Temple
Buddhist Image Three Wooden Standing Kannon Images (Bato Kannon Bosatsu, Sho Kannon Bosatsu and Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
石川県羽咋市白瀬町ル8
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (9:00–17:00 / confirm availability because cultural properties are not always on view)
DepthNobilityMystery
Buzaiin Temple preserves three wooden standing Kannon images in its Hannya Hall: Bato Kannon Bosatsu, Sho Kannon Bosatsu and Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu. All date from the early to middle Heian period, are based on single-block carving in hinoki cypress, and are designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The three-faced, six-armed Bato Kannon Bosatsu is especially rare, with very few surviving examples in Japan. The three images are thought to have originally stood in a Kannon hall in Yata, Shika, and to have been transferred to Buzaiin in 1688. Visits require reservations, and the cultural properties are not always on display, so early confirmation is necessary.
Kurikara Fudoji Temple
Buddhist Image Omaedachi Fudo Myo-o (Representative Image of Kurikara Fudo Myo-o) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
石川県河北郡津幡町倶利伽羅リ2
Visiting Status Regular worship available (hall open 9:00–17:00)
PowerDignitySolemnity
This Omaedachi Fudo Myoo in the summit main hall of Kurikara Fudoji Temple serves as the representative image before the principal Kurikara Fudo Myoo. It was created by Buddhist sculptor Kobayashi Hiroshi of Shiga and is enshrined together with Amida Nyorai, Sho Kannon, Bishamonten and many other sacred figures. Goma fire rituals continue to be performed in the hall, making it a living center of prayers for protection from misfortune and traffic safety. The principal image of the Oku-no-in is unveiled once every three years, while the Omaedachi can be worshipped during normal hall hours.
Fushimiji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県金沢市寺町5-5-28
Visiting Status Indoor viewing available (admission fee required / closed on Buddhist service days / groups require reservations)
PowerRefinementNobility
This gilt-bronze seated Amida Nyorai is the principal image of Fushimiji Temple. Dating to the early Heian period, probably around the Jogan era, the 22.1 cm image was cast in a single piece. Its large head, full cheeks and shoulders, ample body and bold, simple robe folds give it a powerful expression. It is a rare surviving example of Heian-period gilt-bronze Buddhist sculpture and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Paid indoor viewing is available at Fushimiji Temple.
Hanibe Gankutsuin
Buddhist Image Hanibe Shakyamuni Great Buddha (Buddha Head) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県小松市立明寺町イ1
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (Apr–Sep 9:00–17:00 / Oct–Mar 9:00–16:00 / open year-round / admission fee required)
PowerMysterySolemnity
The monumental head of the Hanibe Shakyamuni Great Buddha greets visitors at the entrance to Hanibe Gankutsuin. It is part of an ambitious Great Buddha project led by the second head priest and sculptor Tsugata Hakuma, with the head and shoulders currently completed. Gankutsuin opened in 1951 after Buddhist images were installed in former stone-quarry caves, where numerous figures including Amida Nyorai and Fudo Myoo are displayed. Visitors can see both the giant Buddha head and the cave sculptures during regular opening hours.
Daihonzan Sojiji Soin
Buddhist Image Shakyamuni Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県輪島市門前町門前1-18-1
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (8:00–17:00 / Dec 21–Mar 20: 9:00–16:00, except Jan 1 / admission fee required)
SolemnityStillnessDignity
Shakyamuni Nyorai is the principal image enshrined in the Butsuden Hall of Daihonzan Sojiji Soin. The hall was rebuilt in 1912, with Shakyamuni at the center, Daigen Shuri Bosatsu to the right and Bodhidharma to the left. After repairs following the Noto Peninsula earthquake, regular public viewing resumed on April 1, 2025. The temple remains an active Zen training monastery, and the principal image can be worshipped during general visiting hours.
Myojoji Temple
Buddhist Image Joroku Standing Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県羽咋市滝谷町ヨ1
Visiting Status Advance confirmation recommended (grounds 8:00–17:00 / Nov–Mar 8:00–16:30 / confirm access inside the Shaka Hall)
SolemnityDignityStillness
A monumental joroku-scale standing Shakyamuni Buddha is enshrined in Myojoji Temple's Shaka Hall. The hall was built in 1686 by the temple's 19th head priest, Nichiryo, with a tall open interior designed to house the approximately 4.8-meter Buddha, and is also known as the Joroku Hall. Within Myojoji's extensive complex as a major Nichiren Buddhist temple in Hokuriku, the dedicated hall and its giant Shakyamuni image are especially striking. The temple grounds are open year-round, but advance confirmation is recommended for access to the image inside the Shaka Hall.
Shogakuin Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県羽咋市寺家町ト92
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (indoor viewing / confirm availability of the statue because cultural properties are not always on display)
GentlenessNobilityStillness
Shogakuin Temple preserves this wooden seated Amida Nyorai from the late Heian period. The 110 cm image is made of hinoki cypress using joined-block construction, with carved eyes and a crystal urna. Its calm, refined expression gives the figure a serene and graceful presence. It originally served as the principal image of the lecture hall at Keta Daijinguji and was transferred to Shogakuin following the separation of Buddhism and Shinto in 1868. It is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Indoor visits require reservations, and the cultural properties are not always on display, so the statue's availability should be confirmed in advance.
Hokkeji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
石川県鳳珠郡能登町柳田ラ部84甲
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (10:00–15:00 / free admission / no regular closing days)
PowerDignityTense Presence
This wooden seated Fudo Myoo is enshrined in the Goma Hall of Hokkeji Temple. Dating to the late Heian period, the 87.2 cm image is made of hinoki cypress using joined-block construction and has carved eyes. Thick brows, heaven-and-earth eyes, tightly clenched lips with exposed teeth, and strongly set shoulders create a fierce subjugating expression. Holding a lasso in the left hand and a sword in the right, the figure sits cross-legged on a rock pedestal. It is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Viewing is by reservation from 10:00 to 15:00.
Genmonji Temple
Buddhist Image Joroku Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県金沢市東山2-14-33
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (grounds and building interior open for viewing / free admission)
SolemnityNobilityPeacefulness
Genmonji Temple enshrines a joroku-scale standing Amida Nyorai. The temple traces its origin to Kaga retainer Naito Zensai receiving the temple site from the third lord, Maeda Toshitsune, and tradition says the Great Buddha was commissioned through the vow of Junsho. It is a large standing image made with joined-block construction and can still be worshipped inside the temple. Viewing of both the grounds and interior is free, but each requires an advance reservation.
Joanji Temple
Buddhist Image Joined-Wood Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県金沢市寺町5-5-18
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (for interior viewing)
SolemnityPeacefulnessNobility
Joanji Temple enshrines a seated Amida Nyorai made with joined-block construction. Created in 1673, it is counted among the Four Great Buddhas of Kanazawa. Joanji is a Jodo Buddhist temple founded in 1575 by the priest Byakuyo Gyusho of Jorensha at the order of Maeda Toshiie, and the interior also enshrines an eight-armed Benzaiten, Daikokuten and Bishamonten. The grounds can be visited freely, but an advance reservation is required to enter the building and view the Amida image.
Daienji Temple
Buddhist Image Jinkotsu Jizo-son (Life-Prolonging Jizo Bosatsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
石川県金沢市寺町5-3-3
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (interior viewing / admission fee required)
DepthTense PresenceSolemnity
Daienji Temple enshrines the Jinkotsu Jizo-son, a Life-Prolonging Jizo standing more than four meters high. The temple's third-generation priest, Shingan, is said to have created it out of compassion for unclaimed dead by crushing their bones and mixing them into its coating. Daienji began in 1624 when the priest Gyo-yo Zehaku built a humble hermitage to memorialize his father, who had died in the Summer Siege of Osaka. Viewing the Jizo inside the temple requires an advance reservation and an admission fee.
Essoji Temple
Buddhist Image Head-Only Great Buddha (Specific Identity Unknown) Category Other
石川県七尾市田鶴浜町チ14
Visiting Status Regular worship available (outdoors on the temple grounds / confirm visiting hours in advance)
WarmthDepthStillness
On the grounds of Essoji Temple stands a Great Buddha consisting only of a head about three meters high. The temple priest at the time, who had served in the Pacific War, began collecting alms in 1943 to create the Buddha as a memorial for fallen comrades and many other victims. The head was completed in 1955, but the priest died before fulfilling the full plan, leaving it in its present form. Visitors can worship the face at close range, and local people affectionately call it the “Head Buddha.”
Keiganji Temple
Buddhist Image Five Hundred Rakan (526 Restored Rakan and 3 Edo-Period Rakan) Category Other
石川県金沢市寺町1-6-46
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (for interior viewing)
WarmthDepthSolemnity
Keiganji Temple is renowned for its Five Hundred Rakan. In 1809, the priest Kaiun Tenrin vowed to enshrine the Rakan, and the ensemble was completed over three generations of priests by 1825. A fire in 1962 destroyed all but three of the Edo-period statues. Kyoto Buddhist sculptor Yoshioka Joun and his son then spent about 25 years restoring the ensemble, completing 526 figures in 1987. Today the temple preserves the three surviving Edo-period statues together with the 526 restored Rakan. Advance reservation is required for viewing inside the building.
Fushimiji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
石川県金沢市寺町5-5-28
Visiting Status Indoor viewing available (admission fee required / groups require reservations / closed on Buddhist service days)
PowerDignityTense Presence
This wooden seated Fudo Myoo is enshrined at the rear of Fushimiji Temple's Goma Hall. Tradition dates it to the Konin era (810–824), and Kanazawa City describes it as a single-block carving that preserves archaic features of Heian-period Buddhist sculpture. Wrinkles are carved into the forehead and cheeks, and its heaven-and-earth eyes and exposed upper and lower teeth form a fierce expression. Today it holds a sword added in the Edo period in the right hand and a later replacement lasso in the left, sitting cross-legged on a rock pedestal. The figure is carved from a single block without hollowing and was designated a Cultural Property of Kanazawa City on January 14, 2014.
Rinsaiji Temple
Buddhist Image Bronze Seated Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
石川県白山市白峰イ68
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (9:00–16:00 / closed Tuesdays / donation required)
SolemnityDignityMystery
This bronze seated Eleven-Faced Kannon is publicly displayed in the Hakusan Gezanbutsu Hall at Rinsaiji Temple. It once stood at the summit of Gozenmine, Hakusan's highest peak, as the mountain's Buddhist embodiment and was cast at Heisenji in Fukui in 1824. The large image is 109 cm high and weighs 207 kg. Its components were cast separately to make transport to the high summit possible. When Buddhist images on the mountain faced destruction during the Meiji-era separation of Buddhism and Shinto, this segmented construction also helped local believers carry it safely down the mountain. It is now displayed as one of the surviving Hakusan Gezanbutsu images.
Shokoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Prince Shotoku (Koyo Image) Category Other
石川県鳳珠郡能登町松波3-80
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (free admission / confirm visiting hours in advance)
NobilityRefinementStillness
This wooden standing image of Prince Shotoku is preserved in the Main Hall of Shokoji Temple. Dating to the latter half of the Kamakura period, probably the late 13th century, the nearly life-size 152 cm figure is a koyo image portraying the 16-year-old prince holding an incense burner and praying for the recovery of his father, Emperor Yomei. Made of joined hinoki blocks with crystal eyes and painted over a white ground, it retains remarkably vivid original decoration including kirikane cut-gold patterns. It is thought to have been made by a Nara sculptor and was transferred from Kofukuji Temple's Kanshubo in 1869. It was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan on June 10, 1993.
Myokan-in Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県七尾市小島町ヌ63甲
Visiting Status Advance confirmation recommended (free admission / confirm availability and viewing hours for the principal image with the temple)
GentlenessRefinementPeacefulness
This wooden seated Amida Nyorai is the principal image of Myokan-in Temple. Dating to the early Kamakura period, it stands 69.2 cm high. The figure is made with sophisticated joined-block construction and hollowing, with crystal eyes and crystal in both the nikkeishu and urna. Its firm body and stable seated posture contrast with a gently lowered gaze and full, rounded cheeks that continue the elegant tradition of Heian-period sculpture. Realistic drapery is enriched with decorative pine-needle-shaped folds, combining early Kamakura realism and ornament. It was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Ishikawa Prefecture on February 1, 2011.
Yokoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Monju Bosatsu in Monastic Form Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
石川県羽咋市酒井町イ11
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (9:00–17:00 / admission ¥300 / enshrined in the Monks' Hall)
DepthStillnessNobility
This wooden seated Monju Bosatsu in monastic form is enshrined in the Monks' Hall at Yokoji Temple. Dating to the Nanboku-cho period, it is 72 cm high, made with joined-block construction, and fitted with crystal eyes. Its lacquer finish has largely faded. The figure has a shaven head, wears monastic robes and a kesa, forms the hokkai-join meditation mudra over the lap, and sits on a chair. Its full, realistic face and stern gaze are distinctive. Ishikawa's official tourism site introduces it as Japan's oldest seated Monju image in monastic form.
Yokoji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Shaka Nyorai (Central Image of the Shaka Triad) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
石川県羽咋市酒井町イ11
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (9:00–17:00 / admission ¥300)
SolemnityNobilityStillness
The principal image of Yokoji Temple's Hatto, or Main Hall, is a seated Shaka Nyorai made in 1322. The 73 cm figure is constructed from joined hinoki blocks and fitted with crystal eyes. The flesh is finished in gold pigment and the robes in lacquer-gilt. The hollowed interior retains structural supports characteristic of the Inpa school of Buddhist sculptors. It forms the central image of a Shaka triad with seated Sho Kannon and Kokuzo Bosatsu as attendants. The patron was Nakada Umanojo of Ienosho in Kaga Province, and the sculptor is thought to have been Suruga Hogen Joshin.