Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Tanshu Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Fudo Myo-o with Kongara and Seitaka Attendants Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
京都府福知山市観音寺1067
Visiting Status Advance contact required for viewing the cultural property
PowerDignityTense Presence
Tanshu Kannonji Temple in Fukuchiyama preserves a wooden standing Fudo Myoo accompanied by the attendants Kongara and Seitaka. The central Fudo measures 45.5 cm and dates to the 9th century, carved from a single piece of kaya or hinoki wood. Kongara dates to the late 13th century, while Seitaka dates to the 11th century, creating an unusual triad assembled from images of different periods. The group was formerly the principal image of Daishoin, a subtemple of Kannonji, and was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2022. The temple is normally open to visitors, but advance contact is required to view the cultural property.
Hojuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai (Okiagari Yakushi) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府綾部市味方町井上寺48
Visiting Status Viewing during the annual festival (third Sunday of July, Cucumber-Sealing Yakushi Festival)
WarmthPeacefulnessDepth
Hojuji Temple in Ayabe preserves a wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai known as Okiagari Yakushi. According to the temple’s official website, the image is thought to have been the principal Buddha of the former Inoueji Temple and is a life-size late-Heian-period statue carved from a single piece of hinoki cypress. It is designated a cultural property of Ayabe City. About 500 years ago, the monk Gikai moved the image into the temple grounds and associated it with the Zen founder Daruma’s teaching of rising again after repeated falls, giving rise to the name Okiagari Yakushi. It remains the focus of the annual Cucumber-Sealing Yakushi Festival held on the third Sunday of July, when worshippers pray for health, recovery from illness and household safety.
Daigoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府福知山市猪崎1
Visiting Status Advance contact required for viewing the cultural property
DignityRefinementDepth
Daigoji Temple in Izaki, Fukuchiyama, enshrines this wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai as its principal image. The statue measures 82.3 cm and was made in 1571. An inscription inside identifies its sculptor as Hogen Kosho of the Kyoto Shichijo school, a lineage descended from Unkei. Kosho later became renowned for creating the Yakushi triad in the Kondo of Toji in Kyoto. The statue shows the balanced proportions, dignified face and controlled flowing drapery characteristic of the orthodox Shichijo Buddhist sculptural tradition of the period. It is designated a cultural property of Fukuchiyama City and provisionally registered by Kyoto Prefecture. Advance contact is required to view the cultural property.
Mudoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Thousand-Armed Kannon (Eleven-Faced Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府船井郡京丹波町粟野堀古ノ上50
Visiting Status Open viewing (no closing days; free admission)
SolemnityDepthStillness
Mudoji Temple in Kyotamba enshrines a monumental wooden standing Thousand-Armed Kannon in its Kannon Hall. The eleven-faced, forty-two-armed image stands 279.2 cm high and dates to the late Heian period. Kyoto Prefecture notes that the principal parts of the head and torso retain much of the original form and regards it as one of the largest surviving Heian-period sculptures in the Tamba region. Constructed in joined wood and finished with lacquer and gold leaf on the flesh areas, the statue has undergone later repairs while preserving the stylistic character of the late Heian period. The Kyotamba Tourism Association currently lists the temple as open without closing days and free to visit.
Tango Daibutsu
Buddhist Image Stone Seated Amida Nyorai (Tango Daibutsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府与謝郡伊根町本坂
Visiting Status Outdoor public viewing
SolemnityDepthStillness
Tango Daibutsu is a stone seated Amida Nyorai in Honsaka, Ine, Kyoto. Its origin lies in a memorial Buddha erected in 1919 after workers from the Tsutsugawa silk mill returned from a trip to Tokyo during the Spanish influenza pandemic and 42 people, including those connected with the group, died. The original bronze Buddha was requisitioned for metal in 1944. Local residents then organized its reconstruction, and the present stone image was completed in 1945 and consecrated on April 8. Sitting quietly in the open air, the Amida embodies both mourning for those lost to the epidemic and the community’s determination to preserve their memory.
Senjuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Thousand-Armed Kannon (Eleven-Faced, Forty-Two-Armed) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府亀岡市薭田野町鹿谷大タワ7
Visiting Status Freely accessible
RefinementPeacefulnessDepth
Senjuji Temple in Kameoka enshrines a wooden seated Thousand-Armed Kannon as its principal image. According to the Kameoka City Museum of Culture, the statue has eleven faces and forty-two arms, with the main hands joined in prayer and another pair holding a jewel. It is constructed in joined wood with crystal-inlaid eyes and finished to reveal the natural wood surface. Its refined face, balanced proportions and soft drapery indicate a Kamakura-period date. Temple tradition links the image to Kukai, who is said to have carved it after finding a ritual vajra he had cast toward Japan while returning from China. The temple remains known as a place of devotion for eye health, with special Sen-nichi-mairi observances on April 17 and July 17. Kyoto Prefecture’s tourism federation lists the temple as open for free viewing.
Henjoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府京都市右京区嵯峨広沢西裏町14
Visiting Status Open for regular viewing (10:00–16:00; closed 9:00–13:00 on the 28th of each month)
GentlenessNobilityStillness
Henjoji Temple, near Hirosawa Pond in Kyoto’s Ukyo Ward, enshrines this wooden standing Eleven-Faced Kannon as its principal image. The statue is traditionally said to have been installed when the temple was founded in 989 and is attributed to Kosho, the master and father of Jocho, famed for the Amida Buddha at Byodoin’s Phoenix Hall. Designated an Important Cultural Property, it is carved from a single piece of cypress and is noted for its gentle gaze, delicate fingers and flowing drapery. Having survived the temple’s decline and the upheavals of the Onin War, this mid-Heian Kannon can still be viewed at close range during regular inner-sanctuary visits.
Konkai Komyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Manjusri Riding a Lion with Udayana, Buddhapali and the Elder (Traveling Manjusri Group) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府京都市左京区黒谷町121
Visiting Status Open for regular viewing (Mieido Hall 9:00–16:00)
DignityDepthRefinement
The Mieido Hall of Konkai Komyoji enshrines a Traveling Manjusri group centered on Manjusri riding a lion, accompanied by King Udayana, Buddhapali and the Elder. The four surviving medieval figures are designated cultural properties of Kyoto City and are traditionally attributed to Unkei. Originally worshipped at Nakayama Hodoji, they were transferred to Konkai Komyoji after that temple was destroyed during the Onin War and later became revered as one of the famed Manjusri images of Japan. A lost Sudhana figure was later recreated in the traditional style, restoring the full traveling-Manjusri composition. The Manjusri figure reaches about 2.8 meters in overall height and can normally be viewed in the Mieido Hall from 9:00 to 16:00.
Kurama-dera Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Bishamonten, Kisshoten and Zennishi Doji Category Tenbu (Deva)
京都府京都市左京区鞍馬本町1074
Visiting Status Open for regular viewing (Reihoden 9:00–16:00; closed Mondays, or the following day if Monday is a holiday; closed Dec. 12 through the end of February)
DignityMysteryPower
On the third floor of Kurama-dera’s Reihoden are the National Treasure standing figures of Bishamonten, Kisshoten and Zennishi Doji. The Bishamonten and Zennishi Doji date to the 11th century, while the Kisshoten is dated 1127. Bishamonten is especially distinctive for raising his left hand to his forehead and gazing into the distance, an extremely rare pose. The three figures can be viewed closely in the quiet Buddhist Image Hall, making this one of the strongest places to encounter Kurama-dera’s historic Bishamonten devotion through the original sculptures.
Yakushiji Temple (Saga)
Buddhist Image Wooden Half-Seated Jizo Bosatsu (Sho-Rokudo Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府京都市右京区嵯峨釈迦堂藤ノ木町46
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public; the main hall opens only on August 24 each year (10:00–15:00, free admission)
MysteryDepthPeacefulness
Yakushiji in Saga, Kyoto, preserves a wooden half-seated Jizo known as Sho-Rokudo Jizo. The image is linked to the legend of Ono no Takamura, who was said to enter the underworld through a well at Rokudo Chinnoji and return to this world through a well at the former Fukushoji in Saga. Tradition says Takamura was moved by the sight of Jizo rescuing the dead in hell and carved this image. After Fukushoji was abolished, the statue was transferred to Yakushiji. Designated a cultural property of Kyoto City, it can be viewed inside the main hall only on August 24 each year during Jizo-bon, from 10:00 to 15:00.
Shorinji Temple (Tofukuji Subtemple)
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Bishamonten Category Tenbu (Deva)
京都府京都市東山区本町15-795
Visiting Status Normally closed; special viewing at New Year, in spring (around April), and in autumn (around mid-November to early December)
DignityPowerTense Presence
Shorinji, a subtemple of Tofukuji in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward, preserves a wooden standing Bishamonten dating to the 10th century of the Heian period. The figure is 145.7 cm tall and is said to have once been hidden above the ceiling of Tofukuji’s Buddha Hall. It was rediscovered in the Edo period and enshrined at Shorinji to guard Tofukuji’s northeast, the traditional demon gate. Nearly life-sized and normally kept as a secret image, it is unveiled during special viewing periods at New Year, in spring and in autumn. Its antiquity, guardian role and clearly defined opportunities for direct viewing make it a particularly strong Buddhist-image destination.
Hokongo-in Temple (Jizoin)
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Jizo Bosatsu (Kaname Jizo / Kanae Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府京都市右京区花園扇野町49
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (normally visible through glass doors)
SolemnityPeacefulnessDepth
At Jizoin, a subtemple of Hokongo-in in Kyoto’s Ukyo Ward, is a large wooden seated Jizo Bosatsu dating to the late Heian period and designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The image is joroku-sized and ranks among the largest Jizo statues in Japan. Long revered as the “Kaname Jizo” and “Kanae Jizo,” it combines monumental scale with a calm, gentle expression. The original statue can normally be viewed through glass doors, allowing visitors to encounter both the grandeur of a Heian-period Buddhist image and a living tradition of Jizo devotion.
Rokuharamitsuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Jizo Bosatsu (Katsurakake Jizo) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府京都市東山区ロクロ町81-1
Visiting Status Regular viewing available (Reiwakan 9:00–16:15 / last admission 16:00)
GentlenessMysteryDepth
Rokuharamitsuji’s Reiwakan displays an Important Cultural Property wooden standing Jizo Bosatsu from the Heian period. Formerly the principal image of Rokuhara Jizodo, it is traditionally attributed to the master sculptor Jocho. Its most unusual feature is the hair held in the left hand, which gives the image its name, “Katsurakake Jizo.” The gentle face, surviving color and kirikane decoration give the statue a distinctive presence, while its form preserves the long history of Jizo devotion in the Rokuhara district. The original sculpture can normally be viewed in Reiwakan from 9:00 to 16:15.
Daihoonji Temple (Senbon Shakado)
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Thousand-Armed Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府京都市上京区溝前町1034
Visiting Status Open for regular viewing (Reihoden 9:00–17:00; entry by 16:00)
NobilitySolemnityStillness
Daihoonji’s Reihoden Treasure Hall houses an Important Cultural Property wooden standing Thousand-Armed Kannon from the Heian period. The 1.76-meter figure is carved from a single block of wood and retains polychrome decoration. It predates the founding of Daihoonji, and temple tradition even attributes its carving to Sugawara no Michizane. Monumental yet serene, the image combines the grandeur of a Thousand-Armed Kannon with the gentle presence of an early Heian Buddhist sculpture. It is on regular display in the Reihoden and can be viewed at leisure.
Honganji Temple
Buddhist Image Eshin Thousand Buddhas Category Other
京都府京丹後市久美浜町1
Visiting Status Regular worship available (group visits require reservation)
MysterySolemnityDepth
Inside the Main Hall of Honganji in Kumihama, Kyotango, rows of small Buddhist figures known as the “Eshin Thousand Buddhas” line the space above the inner sanctuary lintels. Jodo-shu temple information describes about 1,600 figures traditionally attributed to Genshin, also known as Eshin Sozu. The extraordinary sight of countless small images surrounding the worship space has long been associated with prayers for the protection of life and safety. Integrated into the temple’s medieval Main Hall, this is a distinctive living environment of Buddhist devotion that can normally be visited.
Daigoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Fudo Myo-o by Kaikei Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
京都府京都市伏見区醍醐東大路町22
Visiting Status Open for regular viewing (Reihokan Buddhist Sculpture Gallery 9:00–17:00; last admission 16:30)
PowerTense PresenceDignity
Daigoji’s Reihokan Buddhist Sculpture Gallery displays an Important Cultural Property wooden seated Fudo Myoo carved by Kaikei in Ken'nin 3 (1203), during the Kamakura period. The figure is 53.3 cm high. An inscription inside records the date in May 1203 together with the name “Kojo An Amida Butsu,” the signature used by Kaikei, making this a firmly documented work by the master sculptor. Its iconography follows the Daishi style rooted in the Fudo image of Toji’s Lecture Hall, combining a taut wrathful expression with Kaikei’s refined sculptural control. The statue is currently included in the regular display of the Reihokan sculpture gallery.
Senkyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Seated Jizo Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府木津川市山城町上狛西下55
Visiting Status Freely accessible
SolemnityWarmthStillness
On the grounds of Senkyoji in Kizugawa stands a monumental stone seated Jizo Bosatsu carved in the Kamakura period. About 4.58 meters high, it is celebrated as Japan’s largest fully carved stone Jizo. Once housed in a Jizo hall, the figure now sits in the open air, allowing visitors to encounter its full scale at close range. Its immense size and calm expression, preserved through centuries of local devotion, make it an exceptionally memorable Buddhist-image site.
Shunkoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府相楽郡南山城村北大河原北垣内4-1
Visiting Status Advance contact required (free admission)
RefinementDepthStillness
The principal image of Shunkoji in Minamiyamashiro is an Important Cultural Property wooden standing Yakushi Nyorai dating to the 10th century. Carved from a single kaya-wood block, it preserves a strong Nara-style lineage related to the celebrated Yakushi image of Gangoji. The sculpture is especially valuable for showing how early Heian single-block carving traditions continued in southern Yamashiro, a region deeply connected to Nara culture. Visitors may view the original image by contacting the temple in advance.
Kasagidera Temple
Buddhist Image Kokuzo Bosatsu Cliff Carving Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
京都府相楽郡笠置町笠置笠置山29
Visiting Status Open for regular viewing (summer 8:30–17:00; winter 9:00–16:00)
MysteryPowerDepth
Along Kasagidera’s ascetic circuit, an image of Kokuzo Bosatsu is carved into a massive granite rock. The carving is thought to date from around the late Nara period. Unlike the temple’s principal Miroku cliff image, whose figure was largely lost in medieval warfare, the lines of this Kokuzo image remain clearly visible. It offers a rare direct encounter with the ancient mountain faith of Kasagiyama, where the natural boulder itself became an object of Buddhist devotion. The carving can be seen on the temple’s regular circuit.
Horinji Temple (Daruma-dera)
Buddhist Image Gilt Wooden Reclining Shaka (Nirvana Buddha) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
京都府京都市上京区行衛町457
Visiting Status Open for regular viewing (9:00–16:30)
PeacefulnessSolemnityDepth
Horinji, known as Daruma-dera in Kyoto’s Enmachi area, preserves a life-sized gilt wooden reclining Shaka from the Muromachi period. Temple tradition says the image was offered at Gayain in Hyogo to pray for soldiers and villagers who died during Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s attack on Miki Castle, and it was later brought to Horinji when the temple was founded in the Edo period. A three-dimensional wooden reclining Buddha of this scale is unusual in Kyoto, and the golden Nirvana image can be viewed during regular temple hours.