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Tokushoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
大阪府南河内郡河南町大宝4-7-31
Visiting Status Viewing available (9:00–16:00; advance confirmation recommended because access may be unavailable during memorial services or other ceremonies)
SolemnityDignityPeacefulness
The principal image in the Main Hall of Tokushoji Temple is a wooden seated Amida Nyorai believed to date from the early Kamakura period. At about 2.5 meters high, it is an unusually large jo-roku-scale image for Osaka Prefecture and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Traditionally attributed to a Kasuga Buddhist sculptor, it is also known as the “Kawachi Daibutsu.” The image was brought in 1693 from what is now Toyonaka City to serve as the principal image of Daihoji Temple, founded during the Tenbun era. Daihoji was abolished in 1880, but the temple was revived in 1913 after receiving the name Tokushoji. Viewing is generally available from 9:00 to 16:00, although advance confirmation is recommended because access may be unavailable during memorial services or other ceremonies.
Hozenji Temple
Buddhist Image West-Facing Fudo Myo-o (Mizukake Fudo) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
大阪府大阪市中央区難波1-2-16
Visiting Status Accessible from the temple grounds at all times (24 hours)
WarmthPowerMystery
Enshrined in the grounds of Hozenji Temple, the West-Facing Fudo Myo-o is affectionately known as Mizukake Fudo. Worshippers continuously pour water over the image while making prayers, giving it a distinctive appearance almost entirely covered in vivid green moss. Hozenji is said to have been moved from Uji in Yamashiro Province to Namba in 1637, and the Mizukake Fudo survived when the temple buildings were destroyed in the 1945 Osaka air raids. It remains one of the best-known devotional images in Osaka’s Minami district and can be worshipped 24 hours a day.
Isshinji Temple
Buddhist Image Eight Okotsubutsu (Amida Nyorai images made from cremated remains) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
大阪府大阪市天王寺区逢阪2丁目8-69
Visiting Status Viewable in the Ossuary Hall (temple gate open 5:00–18:00)
DepthStillnessPeacefulness
Isshinji Temple’s Ossuary Hall enshrines eight Okotsubutsu, Amida Nyorai images created from cremated remains entrusted to the temple. The remains received over each ten-year period are gathered and formed into a new Amida image as a distinctive memorial practice of Isshinji. The first was created in 1887, with new images generally consecrated every ten years thereafter. Six prewar images were lost in wartime destruction, and eight now remain, from the 7th image of 1948 through the 14th of 2017. The latest, the 14th image, was made from the remains of approximately 220,000 people received between 2007 and 2016. Visitors may freely worship in the Ossuary Hall while the temple gate is open.
Taiyuji Temple
Buddhist Image Ichigan Fudo Myo-o (Stone Standing Image) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
大阪府大阪市北区太融寺町3-7
Visiting Status Viewable during temple hours (8:00–17:00)
PowerDignityWarmth
The Ichigan Fudo Myo-o is enshrined in Ichigan-do Hall at Taiyuji Temple. This stone standing image is the principal Fudo of the sixth temple on the Kinki Thirty-Six Fudo Pilgrimage. Fudo Myo-o and two attendant youths stand at the far end of the open hall, where incense burners and candle stands face the image. Long affectionately known as “Ichigan Fudo,” it is worshipped for the fulfillment of a single heartfelt wish and continues to draw a steady stream of visitors. Taiyuji is traditionally said to have been founded by Kukai in 821 under the patronage of Emperor Saga. The temple grounds are open from 8:00 to 17:00, and admission is free.
Choanji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
大阪府大阪市天王寺区城南寺町5-13
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (special opening on October 16–17, 2026, 13:00–16:00; no advance reservation required)
SolemnityNobilityStillness
The principal image enshrined at the center of the Main Hall of Choanji Temple is a wooden standing Amida Nyorai measuring 163.0 cm high, approximately life-size, and designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Osaka City. Documents connected with its reconstruction in 1663 are preserved inside the statue. The body was made during that reconstruction, while the head may reuse an older image dating to the 14th century. This historic Amida has been preserved in the temple district formed around the time of Osaka Castle’s construction and is normally closed to the public. As part of Osaka City’s “Rediscovering Osaka History” program, it will receive its first special public viewing on October 16 and 17, 2026, from 13:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:30; no advance reservation required).
Ankoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
大阪府高槻市浦堂本町41-1
Visiting Status Opened on Sundays and public holidays according to the temple's official website (Takatsuki City also lists Saturdays; advance confirmation is recommended for Saturday visits)
SolemnityNobilityStillness
The Wooden Seated Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu enshrined in Aoume Kannon Hall at Ankoji Temple is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Believed to date from the late 10th century in the Heian period, it is about 140 cm high and has eleven faces and forty-two arms. It is exceptionally large for a seated Thousand-Armed Kannon and is regarded as one of the largest examples of its type in Japan. It originally served as the principal image of Anshoji Temple in Makami and was brought to Ankoji as a guest image after Anshoji was abandoned. The temple's current official website states that it is opened on Sundays and public holidays.
Daimonji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Sho Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
大阪府茨木市大門寺97
Visiting Status Hidden image (special opening November 2–19, 2026; check the temple's official notice for detailed hours)
NobilityMysteryStillness
The principal image of Daimonji Temple's Main Hall is a wooden seated Sho Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu from the late Heian period. Carved from camphor wood in the warihagi technique, the six-armed figure sits in a half-lotus contemplative pose on a rock seat and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Normally kept as a hidden image, it was exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum in summer 2026 and is scheduled for a special opening at the temple from November 2 to 19, 2026, marking a milestone in the major restoration of the temple complex. The temple's four wooden Shitenno statues, also Important Cultural Properties, are expected to be displayed together.
Yachuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Jizo Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
大阪府羽曳野市野々上5-9-24
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled on the 18th of every month, 9:30–16:00)
GentlenessStillnessNobility
The Wooden Standing Jizo Bosatsu is the principal image of the Jizo Hall at Yachuji Temple. Carved from a single piece of Japanese cypress, it stands on a lotus pedestal holding a khakkhara staff in the right hand and a wish-fulfilling jewel in the left. Its gentle expression and well-proportioned figure are characteristic of a work believed to date from the late Heian period, and it is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Normally kept as a hidden image, it is unveiled from 9:30 to 16:00 on the 18th of every month and can be viewed together with the temple's gilt-bronze Miroku Bosatsu in a half-lotus pose.
Kyuanji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
大阪府池田市伏尾町697
Visiting Status Cultural property viewing available (14:00–15:00 on the 15th of every month except August; on other dates, groups of two or more may inquire by the previous day for a reservation)
NobilityStillnessPeacefulness
Kyuanji Temple's Amida Hall houses a wooden seated Amida Nyorai believed to date from the late Heian period, in the 12th century. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan, the image is thought to be made of joined cherrywood and retains traces of gilt lacquer. Tradition holds that it survived the 1140 fire that destroyed the temple's predecessor, Anyoin, together with the principal Thousand-Armed Kannon. The Amida Hall is normally closed, but the statue can be viewed during the cultural property opening from 14:00 to 15:00 on the 15th of every month except August.
Chohoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
大阪府大阪市平野区平野本町3-4-23
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled annually on May 18)
SolemnityMysteryDepth
The hidden principal image of Chohoji Temple is a wooden standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu. It is one of a group of four Buddhist statues dating to the 11th–12th centuries of the Heian period and designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Osaka City. Osaka City research records a tradition that this Kannon was originally the principal image of Shurakuji Temple, founded in Hirano by Sakanoue no Hirono. Normally kept hidden, the statue is unveiled each year on May 18 during the temple's Enma observance. The Enma image and the relic known as the Blue Spider's sharira are also shown that day, preserving a distinctive medieval tradition of Enma worship.
Senkoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
大阪府大阪市平野区平野本町4-12-21
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled annually on January 8 and the Mid-Autumn full moon)
DignityDepthStillness
The principal image of Senkoji Temple, this wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai is enshrined in the central shrine of the Main Hall. Measuring 78.0 cm high, it is an archaic single-block carving, with the head and torso carved from one piece of wood and a separate horizontal piece forming the front of the knees. Its broad, stern face, thick cord-like robe folds, and strongly projecting knees are distinctive. Dating to the early 10th century, it is one of Osaka City's notable surviving Heian-period Buddhist sculptures and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Osaka City. Normally kept hidden, it is unveiled each year on January 8 and on the Mid-Autumn full moon.
Daijobo Temple (Homanji)
Buddhist Image Standing Bishamonten (Hidden Principal Image) Category Tenbu (Deva)
大阪府大阪市浪速区日本橋3-6-13
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled on or around the second Sunday of May and November; confirm exact dates in advance)
PowerDignityMystery
Daijobo Temple has an unusual principal ensemble of four standing Bishamonten figures arranged one behind another. The two rear figures are hidden images kept in a fireproof repository-type zushi shrine within the Main Hall. The hidden principal Bishamonten is traditionally counted among Japan's Four Great Bishamonten images, and the head of the principal figure is said to date back to the Nara period. When the temple buildings were destroyed during World War II, the fireproof zushi shrine and the principal images survived. They are unveiled in spring and autumn, around the second Sunday of May and November, when visitors can see all four figures aligned together.
Fukkoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
大阪府大阪市淀川区加島4-10-8
Visiting Status Regularly viewable in the Main Hall during temple opening hours (6:30–17:30)
SolemnityDignityDepth
The principal image of Fukkoji Temple is a monumental wooden standing Amida Nyorai enshrined in the Main Hall. Measuring one jo and six shaku, about 4.8 meters high, it is a full-size jo-roku image. Temple tradition attributes it to the monk Hodo Sennin, while stylistically it is considered a work of the early Fujiwara period. It is among the oldest and largest Buddhist statues in Yodogawa Ward and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Osaka City. Today it forms an Amida triad with Seikannon and Seishi Bosatsu figures carved by Matsumoto Myokei in 2009, and can be worshipped during the temple's opening hours.
Iwamuro-san Kannon-in Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
大阪府堺市南区岩室213
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled annually on August 10 during the Sennichi Festival; confirm in advance)
SolemnityPeacefulnessNobility
The wooden seated Amida Nyorai is enshrined in the Amida Hall of Iwamuro-san Kannon-in Temple. Measuring 118.3 cm high, it is a half-jo-roku image carved from Japanese cypress using joined-block construction, seated in full lotus and forming the raigo mudra. Its large facial features and elongated, well-balanced body give it the imposing presence of a monumental image. Dating to the late Heian period, it is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Osaka Prefecture. Normally kept hidden, it is unveiled each year on August 10 during the Sennichi Festival together with the temple's Eleven-Faced Kannon.
Hodoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Kongo Rikishi Pair (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
大阪府堺市南区鉢ヶ峯寺401
Visiting Status Regularly viewable at the gate (temple grounds are freely open; no admission fee)
PowerDignityTense Presence
A pair of monumental wooden Kongo Rikishi guardian figures stands on either side of the central gate of Hodoji Temple. The Agyo figure measures 296 cm high and the Ungyo figure 294 cm. During dismantling and conservation of the Ungyo, an inscribed wooden tablet was discovered inside, establishing that the pair was made on April 28, 1283, by a Kei-school group of sculptors led by Izumo Hokkyō Enkei, working in the tradition of Unkei. Designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Sakai City, these nearly three-meter-tall guardians can still be viewed up close at the temple entrance.
Honzanji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Bishamonten Category Tenbu (Deva)
大阪府高槻市大字原3298
Visiting Status Hidden image (special viewing after services on the second Sunday of May and November each year)
DignityPowerMystery
The principal image of Honzanji Temple is a wooden standing Bishamonten dating to the late Heian period and designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The imposing image has long been the focus of worship at this mountain temple and is traditionally associated with the devotion of the Sengoku-period warlord Matsunaga Hisahide. Normally kept hidden, it is specially unveiled after services on the second Sunday of May and the second Sunday of November each year, providing rare opportunities to view the principal image itself.
Kozenji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Dainichi Nyorai, Yakushi Nyorai, and Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
大阪府泉南郡岬町多奈川谷川1460
Visiting Status Viewable in the Main Hall (ask the temple before entering; groups should contact in advance)
SolemnityDignityDepth
Three monumental wooden Buddha images are enshrined in the inner sanctuary of Kozenji Temple's Main Hall: Dainichi Nyorai, Yakushi Nyorai, and Shaka Nyorai. The Dainichi is dated 1120 and the Shaka 1093; all three are regarded as works of the late Heian period. Formerly designated National Treasures, they are now Important Cultural Properties of Japan. After a four-year conservation project, the images were returned to the Main Hall. The temple currently asks individual visitors to notify the temple before entering the hall, while groups should contact the temple in advance.
Domyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Prince Shotoku Category Other
大阪府藤井寺市道明寺1-14-31
Visiting Status Viewable on temple viewing days (18th and 25th of each month, January 1–3, and April 17, 9:00–16:30)
DignityRefinementNobility
This wooden standing image of Prince Shotoku is enshrined in the Main Hall of Domyoji Temple. It depicts the prince at age sixteen in the filial-piety type. Objects found inside the statue establish that it was made in 1286. An important benchmark for medieval devotion to Prince Shotoku, the statue and its internal deposits are designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. It is shown in the Main Hall on Domyoji's regular viewing days: the 18th and 25th of each month, January 1–3, and April 17.
Mitsutera Temple
Buddhist Image Mitsutera Buddhist Sculpture Group (principal Eleven-Faced Kannon and 11 other figures) Category Other
大阪府大阪市中央区心斎橋筋2-7-12
Visiting Status Viewable daily from the outer worship area of the Main Hall (9:00–18:00; general viewing may be suspended for ceremonies or events)
SolemnityMysteryStillness
The Main Hall of Mitsutera Temple preserves a notable group of Buddhist sculptures centered on its principal Eleven-Faced Kannon. Twelve wooden figures dating from the 11th through 19th centuries, spanning the Heian to Edo periods, are collectively designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Osaka City. One of the city's significant surviving temple sculpture ensembles, the group can be worshipped from the outer area of the Main Hall during daily visiting hours, 9:00–18:00.
Nyoganji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Sho Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
大阪府大阪市平野区喜連6-1-38
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled annually on August 9 and 10 during the Sennichie observance)
NobilityStillnessMystery
The principal image of Nyoganji Temple is a wooden standing Sho Kannon, 205 cm in overall height and carved largely from a single piece of zelkova wood. It is considered a work from around the end of the early Heian period. Slender from the front yet substantial in profile, the figure retains traces of archaic wave-like drapery carving. Designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Osaka Prefecture, it is normally kept hidden in its zushi shrine and unveiled each year on August 9 and 10 during the Sennichie observance. Visitors can also make a devotional connection with the principal image through a kechien cord.