Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Ichijoden Shinzenkoji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府京都市東山区泉涌寺山内町31
Visiting Status Normally closed / viewable during special openings
PeacefulnessWarmthPurity
Ichijoden Shinzenkoji, a sub-temple of Sennyu-ji, is said to have been founded at the request of Emperor Go-Saga. The Main Hall enshrines a standing Amida Nyorai said to have been made as a counterpart to the sacred image of Zenkoji in Shinshu, preserving the tradition of Zenkoji faith in Kyoto. Within the quiet Sennyu-ji precincts, the temple offers a sense of Amida’s salvation and the refinement of its imperial associations.
Kurama-dera Temple
Buddhist Image Sonten Category Other
京都府京都市左京区鞍馬本町1074
Visiting Status Main Sanctuary open for worship / principal image is secret and unveiled once every 60 years
PowerMysteryDepth
Kurama-dera’s Main Sanctuary enshrines Sonten, the temple’s principal deity conceived as the unity of Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu, Bishamonten and Goho Maoson. Revered as embodying compassion like the moon, light like the sun and power like the earth, Sonten is the distinctive central deity of Kurama-dera, where mountain faith and an esoteric Buddhist worldview overlap. The principal image is normally hidden, but standing before the Main Sanctuary conveys the power and mystery of Mt. Kurama itself as a sacred place of prayer.
Shojiji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府京都市西京区大原野南春日町1194
Visiting Status Regular viewing available / closed to visitors in February
StillnessPeacefulnessDepth
An old Tendai temple in Oharano, widely known as the “Temple of Flowers.” Rurikoden Hall enshrines the principal image, Yakushi Nyorai, preserving a tradition of prayer for healing from illness and confusion. The temple is also associated with the poet Saigyo, and amid mountain stillness and seasonal flowers visitors can experience gentle prayer and a deep sense of time.
Otokunidera Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府長岡京市今里3丁目14-7
Visiting Status Special viewing only
GentlenessDepthPurity
Otokunidera’s Main Hall houses a standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu designated an Important Cultural Property. Although the temple is popularly known for its peonies, it is also an ancient temple associated with Kukai. The Kannon image embodies a long history of devotion, and in contrast to the brightness of the flowers it conveys a quiet and profound atmosphere of prayer, revealing the deeper character of the temple beyond the spring crowds.
Jinzoji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府亀岡市稗田野町佐伯岩谷ノ内院ノ芝60
Visiting Status Viewing available / details should be confirmed
StillnessDepthPurity
An old temple in Kameoka surrounded by the natural beauty of Mt. Asahiyama. Long known as Saeki Yakushi and Hiedano Yakushi, its Main Hall enshrines a seated Yakushi Nyorai designated a Important Cultural Property. The temple has long been cherished as a place of Yakushi devotion, where people pray for healing from illness and confusion. In the stillness of the mountain valley, visitors can experience a calm sense of prayer and the depth of time.
Jojuji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府京都市西京区山田開キ町9
Visiting Status Grounds open / Main Hall and Hojo normally closed
RefinementStillnessPurity
The Main Hall of Jojuji, at the foot of Mt. Hayama, enshrines a seated Shakyamuni Buddha as its principal image. The statue has the Chinese-inspired appearance characteristic of an Obaku Zen temple, and the hall also contains images of Bodhidharma and Kakko Bosatsu. Although the interior of the Main Hall is normally closed, the quiet grounds retain the depth and refined atmosphere of an old temple in western Kyoto.
Tanshu Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府福知山市観音寺1067
Visiting Status Regular viewing available
GentlenessWarmthPeacefulness
Tanshu Kannonji’s Main Hall enshrines a secret Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Kannon Bosatsu as its principal image. The temple is widely loved as the Hydrangea Temple of Tanba, but it is also an old center of Kannon devotion. Behind the bright impression of seasonal flowers lies the depth of prayer preserved over many generations, creating a place where gentleness and quiet gravity coexist.
Komyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府長岡京市粟生西条ノ内26-1
Visiting Status Regular viewing available
PeacefulnessDignityPurity
Komyoji’s Amida Hall enshrines a standing Amida Nyorai as its principal image. Within this large temple associated with Honen, the hall quietly receives prayers rooted in nenbutsu devotion. The imposing Miedo often draws attention, but the Amida Hall beyond it retains a calm atmosphere shaped by generations praying for the Pure Land. Apart from the temple’s fame for autumn foliage, this is a place where visitors can encounter the depth of its central faith.
Chionji Temple
Buddhist Image Monju Bosatsu / Manjushri Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府宮津市字文珠466
Visiting Status Monjudo open for worship / principal image is secret and unveiled several times a year
PurityNobilityWarmth
Chionji, an old temple at Amanohashidate, is known as one of Japan’s three great Monju temples. Its Monjudo Hall enshrines Monju Bosatsu, revered as a Buddha of wisdom. The principal image is secret and cannot normally be viewed directly, but worship at the hall connects visitors with a long tradition of prayers for wisdom. For generations, the deity has been cherished by visitors to Amanohashidate as a presence that illuminates learning and one’s path forward.
Nariaiji Temple
Buddhist Image Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府宮津市成相寺339
Visiting Status Main Hall open to visitors / principal image is secret and normally not on view
GentlenessPurityPeacefulness
Nariaiji is an old Tango temple known as the 28th temple of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. Standing partway up Mt. Tsuzumigatake overlooking Amanohashidate, its Main Hall enshrines Sho Kannon Bosatsu, revered as the “Substitute Kannon” and “Beautiful Kannon.” The principal image is a secret Buddha unveiled once every 33 years, but the grounds still convey the Kannon devotion and legends of compassionate substitution long associated with Nariaiji.
Matsunoodera Temple
Buddhist Image Bato Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府舞鶴市松尾532
Visiting Status Regular viewing available
PowerDepthMystery
Matsunoodera’s Main Hall enshrines Bato Kannon Bosatsu, said to be the only principal image of this form among the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon temples. Unusual among Kannon images for its wrathful expression, Bato Kannon has long been revered as a powerful deity who cuts through delusion and worldly passions. The atmosphere of this pilgrimage temple on the slopes of Mt. Aobayama and devotion to its secret principal image reveal a forceful dimension of Kannon faith beyond gentleness alone.
Kanimanji Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府木津川市山城町綺田浜36
Visiting Status Regular viewing available
DignityDepthPeacefulness
Kanimanji’s Main Hall enshrines a National Treasure bronze seated Shaka Nyorai. This joroku-scale gilt-bronze Buddha preserves the character of the Hakuho period, and behind its quiet expression lies the weighty presence distinctive of ancient Buddhist sculpture. The temple’s famous legend of the grateful crab and the enduring power of an image preserved across centuries come together to leave a simple yet profound impression.
Zenjoji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府綴喜郡宇治田原町大字禅定寺小字庄地100
Visiting Status Regular viewing available
StillnessGentlenessDepth
Zenjoji’s Treasure Hall houses a standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu from the Heian period designated an Important Cultural Property. The large figure carries the deep presence of an image long preserved as the principal Buddha of an ancient temple. Encountered in the quiet mountain setting of Ujitawara, it conveys less a sense of display than the weight of prayer protected over a long span of time.
Anaoji Temple
Buddhist Image Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府亀岡市曽我部町穴太東ノ辻46
Visiting Status Main Hall open to visitors / principal image is secret and normally not on view
GentlenessWarmthPeacefulness
An old temple in Kameoka known as the 21st temple of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. The Main Hall enshrines Sho Kannon Bosatsu, revered as a substitute Kannon who takes on the suffering of worshippers and remains close to those facing illness and hardship. The grounds also contain a reclining Shaka Nyorai popularly known as a “Nadebotoke,” or healing Buddha touched in prayer. Together with the quiet garden, the temple offers a gentle atmosphere of compassion and peace.
Jindoji Temple
Buddhist Image Zao Gongen Category Other
京都府木津川市山城町神童子不晴谷112
Visiting Status Main Hall open to visitors / advance confirmation recommended
StillnessDepthPurity
Jindoji is an old temple in the mountains of Yamashiro-cho, Kizugawa, long revered as a sacred site of Shugendo. The Main Hall, also called Zaodo, enshrines Zao Gongen as its principal deity. Deeply connected with mountain ascetic practice, Zao Gongen conveys the force of mountain faith and the solemn atmosphere of a place of prayer. The quiet grounds preserve the mountain spirituality handed down in southern Yamashiro.
Gansenji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府木津川市加茂町岩船上ノ門43
Visiting Status Regular viewing available
PeacefulnessStillnessPurity
Gansenji is an old temple in Tono, southern Kyoto Prefecture, also known as a temple of flowers. Its Main Hall enshrines a seated Amida Nyorai designated an Important Cultural Property. Nearly three meters tall, this joroku-scale figure preserves the serene form of a Heian-period Buddha. Together with the three-story pagoda and seasonal flowers in the grounds, the Amida conveys the depth of prayer handed down in Tono.
Kasagidera Temple
Buddhist Image Miroku Magaibutsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府相楽郡笠置町笠置笠置山29
Visiting Status Regular viewing available
MysteryDepthPower
Kasagidera’s Miroku cliff-carved Buddha is the temple’s principal image, carved into a massive rock on Mt. Kasagi. The figure itself was lost during the Genko War, and today the enormous halo remaining on the rock face preserves its memory. At a temple where the mountain itself served as a place of faith and practice, natural rock and prayer merge with striking force. The empty space that invites visitors to imagine the lost image is part of this site’s distinctive appeal.
Yokokuji Temple
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府長岡京市浄土谷堂ノ谷2
Visiting Status Regular viewing available
GentlenessMysteryStillness
Yokokuji’s Main Hall enshrines an Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Kannon Bosatsu as its principal image. Affectionately known as Yanagidani Kannon, the temple has long been closely associated with prayers for healing eye diseases. The quiet Main Hall in its mountain setting offers an atmosphere distinct from the bright impressions of flower basins and hydrangeas, bringing visitors closer to the core of Kannon devotion. The image of Kannon, watching over people with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, conveys gentleness together with a deep, all-seeing gaze.
Manshuin Monzeki Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府京都市左京区一乗寺竹ノ内町42
Visiting Status Regular viewing available / details should be confirmed
NobilityStillnessPurity
A Tendai monzeki temple in northern Kyoto. The Shinden is an important hall where memorial tablets of successive emperors and members of the Imperial Family are enshrined. Centered on a standing Amida Nyorai, the space quietly unites imperial dignity with prayers for the Pure Land. Together with the garden and shoin, sometimes likened to a small Katsura Imperial Villa, the temple offers an atmosphere of refined and noble devotion.
Zuiganzan Enkoji Temple
Buddhist Image Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府京都市左京区一乗寺小谷町13
Visiting Status Confirmation required
GentlenessStillnessPeacefulness
A Rinzai Zen temple of the Nanzenji branch in Ichijoji, associated with Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Main Hall enshrines a seated Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu traditionally attributed to Unkei, conveying a calm atmosphere of prayer together with the stillness of the garden. Known also for the Jugyu-no-niwa Garden and suikinkutsu water harp, the temple offers a gentle encounter with Kannon amid the nature and Zen atmosphere of northern Kyoto.