Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Jūrenzan Anraku-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public; viewable during special openings
StillnessGentlenessPeacefulness
Jūrenzan Anraku-ji is a temple in Shishigatani founded by Jūren and Anraku, disciples of Hōnen. The main hall enshrines Amida Nyorai, preserving prayers for rebirth in the Pure Land together with the story of Matsumushi and Suzumushi, two court ladies who were moved by the teaching of the nenbutsu. The temple is normally closed, but on designated opening days in spring and autumn its quiet grounds offer a profound sense of Amida’s peace and enduring devotion.
Rokuō-in Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Please check before visiting
StillnessRefinementDignity
Shōdō Hall at Rokuō-in serves both as the temple’s main Buddha hall and as the founder’s hall. It enshrines Shaka Nyorai (Shakyamuni Buddha) together with statues of the Ten Great Disciples. Behind the main altar are images of the founding priest Fumyō Kokushi and the temple’s patron, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The restrained Zen architecture, rare surviving medieval sculpture, and the stillness of Sagano create an atmosphere of quiet dignity.
Daikaku-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Five Great Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
PowerDignityMystery
Godai-dō is the present main hall of Daikaku-ji, the temple long known as the Former Saga Imperial Palace. It enshrines the Five Great Wisdom Kings, with Fudō Myōō (Acala) at the center, embodying the powerful protection and deep compassion of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. Facing Ōsawa Pond, the hall brings together the refined atmosphere of an imperial residence and the solemn presence of the Wisdom Kings.
Seigan-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
GentlenessPeacefulnessPurity
Seigan-ji stands in Shinkyōgoku at the center of Kyoto and is the head temple of the Seizan Fukakusa branch of Jōdo-shū. Its principal image is Amida Buddha. Because it drew the devotion of women including Sei Shōnagon, Izumi Shikibu, and Matsunomaru-dono, it became known as the “Temple of Women’s Rebirth in the Pure Land.” Although surrounded by busy streets, it remains a nenbutsu sanctuary closely connected with everyday life, quietly conveying Amida’s promise of salvation.
Mibu-dera Temple
Buddhist Image Enmei Jizō Bosatsu (Life-Prolonging Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
WarmthGentlenessPeacefulness
Mibu-dera is a Risshū temple long cherished as a center of devotion to Jizō Bosatsu (Kṣitigarbha) and is also well known for its ties to the Shinsengumi. The main hall enshrines Enmei Jizō Bosatsu, an Important Cultural Property, and the temple has long drawn people praying for protection from misfortune and for good fortune. Its historic Setsubun observance and Mibu Kyōgen performances bring together the prayers of ordinary people and the living history of Kyoto.
Rokudō Chinno-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public; special openings may be available
DepthStillnessMystery
Rokudō Chinnō-ji stands at Rokudō-no-Tsuji, long believed to mark the boundary between this world and the next. Its repository, also known as Yakushi Hall, houses the Important Cultural Property seated image of Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha). The temple brings together prayers for healing illness and suffering with reflection on life and death. Legends of Ono no Takamura’s journeys to the underworld and devotion to Enma, King of the Underworld, deepen its distinctive atmosphere.
Shakuzō-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Kuginuki Jizō Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
WarmthGentlenessDepth
Shakuzō-ji is a historic Kyoto temple popularly known as Kuginuki Jizō. According to tradition, Kūkai named the image Kunuki Jizō—“Jizō Who Removes Suffering”—and the name later evolved into Kuginuki Jizō, the “Nail-Puller Jizō.” Around the hall hang votive plaques bearing nails and nail pullers, offered in gratitude by worshippers whose prayers were answered. They vividly express a popular faith that seeks relief from pain, illness, and everyday hardship.
Senbon Enma-dō
Buddhist Image Enma Ho-o Category Tenbu (Deva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
DepthGentlenessWarmth
Injō-ji in Kamigyō is better known as Senbon Enmadō, a temple associated with judgment in the underworld and memorial rites. The main hall enshrines Enma Hōō, the king and judge of the underworld. Located at the entrance to Rendaino, one of Heian-kyō’s ancient burial grounds, the temple preserves Kyoto’s reflections on life and death through Shōryō-mukae ancestral-spirit rites and its traditional Nenbutsu Kyōgen performances.
Ryūhon-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Kishimojin Category Tenbu (Deva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Please check before visiting
WarmthGentlenessDepth
Ryuuhonji, a head temple of Nichiren Buddhism, has a Setsudō, or Kishimojin Hall, dedicated to Kishimojin (Hārītī), affectionately known locally as Kitano no Kishimojin-san. Revered for safe childbirth and the protection and healthy growth of children, Kishimojin is traditionally described as a once-fierce mother deity who embraced the Buddhist teaching and became a guardian of families. The hall preserves a warm, everyday form of devotion closely connected with family life.
Genkō-an Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Please check before visiting
StillnessDepthPurity
Genkō-an’s main hall enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha in the Kegon tradition, flanked by the disciples Ānanda and Mahākāśyapa. The round Window of Enlightenment symbolizes the universe and the awakened mind, while the square Window of Delusion represents the human life marked by birth, aging, illness, and death. The hall also preserves a blood-stained ceiling reused from Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, inviting reflection on life and death, delusion and awakening.
Giō-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
StillnessDepthPeacefulness
The modest thatched hermitage at Giō-ji enshrines Dainichi Nyorai (Mahāvairocana). Its Buddhist altar also holds wooden images of Giō, her sister Gijo, their mother Toji, Hotoke Gozen, and Taira no Kiyomori, figures closely connected with The Tale of the Heike. Within the small retreat surrounded by moss and bamboo, the sorrow of their story and the quiet consolation of Buddhist prayer seem to merge.
Seikan-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Jūichimen Senju Kannon (Eleven-Headed Thousand-Armed Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Please check before visiting
GentlenessStillnessPeacefulness
Seikan-ji stands in a secluded valley of Higashiyama, where its main hall enshrines an Eleven-Headed Kannon. Set apart from the crowds of nearby Kiyomizu-dera, the temple is also associated with Kogō no Tsubone, a beloved consort of Emperor Takakura, whose memorial tomb stands nearby. The quiet mountain setting brings together Kannon’s compassion, courtly legend, and the distinctive stillness of eastern Kyoto.
Ryōzen Kannon
Buddhist Image Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
GentlenessPurityPeacefulness
Ryozen Kannon in Higashiyama is a 24-meter-tall seated image of Byakue Kannon (White-Robed Kannon), erected in 1955 to commemorate those who died in the Second World War. The main hall within the pedestal enshrines an Eleven-Headed Kannon and Buddhist relics, while guardian Buddhist figures for the twelve zodiac signs are placed inside the great statue. Its serene expression and the prayers offered for the war dead create an atmosphere of gentle, solemn remembrance.
Hōkyō-in Temple
Buddhist Image Jūichimen Senju Kannon Bosatsu (Eleven-Headed Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
StillnessPurityDepth
Hōkyō-in is a Rinzai Zen temple in Sagano renowned for its garden and autumn foliage. The main hall enshrines a standing Jūichimen Senju Kannon (Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed Kannon) as its principal image. The temple also preserves the memory of the warrior Kusunoki Masatsura and the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiakira, whose burial sites stand close together. Amid moss and seasonal color, visitors can sense Kannon’s compassion and the depth of remembrance carried across the centuries.
Jōjakkō-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Kongo Rikishi Category Tenbu (Deva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
PowerDignityStillness
Jōjakkō-ji is a Nichiren temple on the slope of Mount Ogura, celebrated for its autumn foliage. Its Niōmon Gate houses imposing statues of the Niō, the two guardian kings, traditionally attributed to the sculptor Unkei. Their powerful presence marks the entrance to the quiet mountain temple. Along the approach framed by moss and maples, visitors encounter both the beauty of nature and the solemn guardianship of the Buddhist teachings.
Yoshimine-dera Temple
Buddhist Image Senju Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Main Hall is open for worship; the main image is hidden and opening days may be available
GentlenessPurityPeacefulness
Yoshiminedera, situated on the mountainside of Kyoto’s western Nishiyama range, is the 20th temple of the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage. Its Kannon Hall, which serves as the main hall, enshrines Senju Kannon (Thousand-Armed Kannon) as the principal image, sustaining a long tradition of Kannon devotion alongside expansive views over Kyoto. Seasonal flowers and celebrated trees fill the spacious grounds, creating a place where the beauty of nature and the peace of prayer meet.
Mimuroto-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Senju Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Main Hall is open to visitors; the main image is hidden, but the public-facing substitute image can be viewed
GentlenessPeacefulnessPurity
Mimuroto-ji is an ancient temple in Uji and the 10th temple of the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage, widely loved for its seasonal flowers. Its hidden principal image is venerated as Senju Kannon (Thousand-Armed Kannon). According to temple tradition, the original small sacred image was placed within a larger Thousand-Armed Kannon, and formal unveilings came to be held at intervals of thirty-three years. The flower-filled grounds and the quiet main hall bring visitors into contact with a Kannon devotion sustained for over a millennium.
Kokūzō Hōrin-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Kokuzo Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
PurityStillnessNobility
The Main Hall of Kokūzō Hōrin-ji, standing on the heights above Arashiyama, enshrines Kokūzō Bosatsu (Ākāśagarbha) as its principal image. Revered for bestowing wisdom, merit, and skill in the arts, the temple is especially known for Jūsan-mairi, a traditional pilgrimage made by boys and girls at age thirteen to pray for wisdom and healthy growth. From the temple grounds, which overlook Togetsukyō Bridge and Sagano, the open landscape complements these clear-hearted prayers for maturity.
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakuyoke Senju Kannon (Thousand-Armed Kannon for Protection from Misfortune) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
GentlenessWarmthStillness
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji is an ancient Tendai temple in the mountains of Oku-Saga, renowned for its 1,200 stone rakan (arhat) figures. The main hall enshrines Yakuyoke Senju Kannon, a Thousand-Armed Kannon revered for protection from misfortune. Known as Jigen Higen no Senju Kannon, its asymmetrical face is said to express both the stern and gentle aspects of Buddhist compassion. Surrounded by the individual expressions of the rakan, visitors encounter a place where warmth and deep devotion coexist.
Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
DepthPeacefulnessStillness
Adashino Nenbutsu-ji is a Jōdo-shū (Pure Land) temple in Adashino, Oku-Saga, a place long associated with burial and memorial rites. The main hall enshrines Amida Buddha. The many stone Buddhist images and memorial stupas throughout the grounds preserve prayers for the countless people whose graves became unattended over time. In the stillness of Sagano, this Buddhist site invites quiet reflection on the transience of life and the saving compassion of Amida.