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Bukkokuji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Yakushi Nyorai, three standing Sho Kannon figures, and a standing Bosatsu figure Category Buddha / Bodhisattva
島根県松江市美保関町美保関530
Visiting Status 10:00–17:00 (irregular closing days; ¥300 admission to Dainichido Hall)
PowerDepthSolemnity
Dainichido Hall enshrines five early-Heian-period single-block wooden sculptures: a seated Yakushi Nyorai, three standing Sho Kannon figures, and a standing bodhisattva figure. All five are designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. Known as some of the oldest surviving wooden Buddhist sculptures in the San'in region, they preserve the simple yet powerful character associated with the Izumo style. Bukkokuji traces its predecessor to the Shingon temple Sanmyoin; after declining in the late medieval period, it was revived as a Jodo-shu temple by the priest Gan'a Junkei during the Tensho era (1573–1592). Dainichido Hall is open from 10:00 to 17:00, with irregular closing days.
Kiyomizudera Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
島根県安来市清水町528
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled during the first three days of January, on April 29, and on July 17)
NobilityMysterySolemnity
The wooden standing Eleven-Faced Kannon enshrined as the principal image of the Main Hall dates to the Heian period and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Kiyomizudera is an ancient Tendai temple traditionally said to have been founded by the monk Sonryu in 587. The image continues to be revered as the temple's Kannon for protection from misfortune. It is a hidden image, unveiled during the first three days of January, on April 29, and on July 17.
Rakanji Temple
Buddhist Image Five Hundred Arhat Seated Statues (501 figures) Category Other
島根県大田市大森町イ804
Visiting Status 9:00–17:00 (open daily; temporary closures may occur for temple services, winter conditions, or bad weather)
WarmthDepthStillness
The Five Hundred Arhat seated statues were created over roughly 25 years in the mid-18th century to pray for people who died at the Iwami Ginzan silver mine and for the souls of ancestors. A total of 501 arhat figures are arranged in the left and right rock-cut caves, while a stone Shakyamuni triad is enshrined in the central cave. Carved from Fukumitsu stone by stonemasons from Yunotsu, including the Tsubouchi Heishichi group, each figure has a distinct expression and pose. The site preserves both the stone-carving skill and devotional culture of Iwami Ginzan, and the group of arhat statues is protected as cultural heritage.
Manpukuji Temple (Otera Yakushi)
Buddhist Image Seated Yakushi Nyorai, standing Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu, two standing Sho Kannon figures, and four standing Four Heavenly Kings Category Buddha / Bodhisattva / Heavenly Deity
島根県出雲市東林木町416
Visiting Status Advance reservation required by the previous day. 8:00–17:00 Apr–Sep; 9:00–16:00 Oct–Mar
PowerDignitySolemnity
The repository at Otera Yakushi houses nine sculptures centered on a seated Yakushi Nyorai: standing Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu, two standing Sho Kannon figures, and four standing Four Heavenly Kings. All nine are designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. Dating mainly from the Heian period, around the 9th to 11th centuries, they are primarily carved from single blocks of wood. The former Otera is traditionally said to have been founded by the monk Chishun in 594. After a major flood in 1650 destroyed much of the temple and many of its images, the rescued sculptures were handed down at present-day Manpukuji. Visitors can walk behind the statues and view them from all sides. Reservation by the previous day is required.
Kiyomizudera Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Amida Nyorai and two attendant bodhisattvas, Seated Amida Nyorai, and Seated Matara-jin Category Buddha / Bodhisattva / Other
島根県安来市清水町528
Visiting Status Advance reservation required at least one week ahead. Apr–Nov 9:00–16:00 (closed 12:00–13:00). No reservation needed during spring and autumn special viewing periods. Reservations suspended Dec 1–Mar 31
NobilityDepthSolemnity
The Treasure Museum preserves Buddhist sculptures designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan, including a Heian-period seated Amida triad, another Heian-period seated Amida Nyorai, and a seated Matara-jin dated 1329. The Amida triad consists of Amida Nyorai with Kannon and Seishi Bosatsu. In ordinary periods, viewing requires a reservation at least one week in advance and is available from 9:00 to 16:00 from April through November, with a midday closure from 12:00 to 13:00. Reservations are not required during the spring and autumn special viewing periods, while reservation service is suspended from December 1 through March 31.
Ichibataji Temple (Ichibata Yakushi)
Buddhist Image Stone Ruri Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
島根県出雲市小境町803
Visiting Status Viewable at all times from the temple grounds (temple office 8:30–17:00; no staff service outside these hours)
PurityNobilityPeacefulness
The stone Ruri Kannon Bosatsu standing in front of Kannon Hall was brought from Mount Putuo, a major Kannon pilgrimage site in China. Holding an incense burner, the figure stands on a lotus floating on water. Ruri Kannon Bosatsu is also the principal image of the hall, which is the 26th temple of the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage and the 31st temple of the 108 Kannon Pilgrimage, attracting pilgrims throughout the year. Ichibataji is traditionally said to have been founded in 894 and is widely revered as the head temple of the 'Yakushi for the eyes'; here Kannon is worshipped as a sacred figure connected with the vows of Yakushi Nyorai.
Ichibataji Temple (Ichibata Yakushi)
Buddhist Image Yakushi Nyorai Statue Group (Hachiman-Shisenbutsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
島根県出雲市小境町803
Visiting Status Open for worship at all times (visitors may walk through the hall; after the doors close at night, the images can still be viewed through glass)
SolemnityWarmthPeacefulness
Hachiman-Shisenbutsu expresses Buddhism's '84,000 Dharma gates' as individual sacred images and is Ichibata Yakushi's distinctive project to embody the Pure Land of Yakushi by enshrining 84,000 Yakushi Nyorai statues. Begun in 1993 for the temple's 1,100th anniversary, each donated statue contains the donor's prayer and is memorialized in perpetuity. The present fifth hall, called Hachido, can be walked through, allowing visitors to worship surrounded by numerous Yakushi images beneath a ceiling decorated with flowers.
Tachikue Gorge / Reikoji Temple
Buddhist Image Five Hundred Arhats and Buddhist Statue Group (over 1,000 figures) Category Other
島根県出雲市乙立町4311-2
Visiting Status Viewable from the walking trail (the nature trail passing the Five Hundred Arhats and Reikoji is open; the ascent to the observation deck is closed)
MysteryDepthStillness
On the cliff below the approach to Reikoji Temple stands a group of more than a thousand old and new Buddhist figures known as the Five Hundred Arhats. Some of the older images are wooden, while the stone figures were mainly dedicated in the early Taisho period by people involved in the establishment of Reikoji. The temple was built in 1919, and the Tachikue Gorge area has a history as a center of mountain ascetic practice. The figures can be worshipped along the nature trail between Furo Bridge and Furan Bridge, where the many weathered images form a distinctive devotional landscape across the cliff face.
Manpukuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
島根県益田市東町25-33
Visiting Status 8:30–17:00 (open year-round; general admission ¥500)
PeacefulnessDepthRefinement
The wooden seated Amida Nyorai enshrined in the Main Hall dates to the 12th-century Heian period and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Masuda City. Manpukuji was established at its present site in 1374 by Masuda Kanemi, the 11th head of the Masuda clan, as the family's ancestral temple, and its Main Hall is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The grounds also preserve a garden traditionally attributed to Sesshu, designated a National Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty, conveying the Buddhist culture of medieval Masuda. The temple is open year-round from 8:30 to 17:00.
Ikoji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Nyorai with Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu Category Buddha / Bodhisattva
島根県益田市染羽町4-29
Visiting Status 8:30–17:30 (Mar–Nov) / 8:30–17:00 (Dec–Feb), admission ¥500
RefinementNobilityPurity
The principal Yakushi Nyorai is traditionally attributed to the Kamakura-period 'Annami' tradition and is enshrined with attendant Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu. The triad preserves delicate coloring applied over gold leaf. Ikoji developed from a subtemple of Sukanji, founded in 1363, and was later reestablished by Munekane, the 17th head of the Masuda clan. The garden, traditionally said to have been created while Sesshu served as abbot of Sukanji, is designated a National Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. Viewing hours are 8:30–17:30 from March through November and 8:30–17:00 from December through February.
Shingakuin Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
島根県浜田市松原町266
Visiting Status Available for viewing at any time (according to Hamada Tourism Association information)
RefinementNobilityPeacefulness
The principal wooden standing Amida Nyorai bears an inscription dating it to 1255 in the mid-Kamakura period and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Carved from a single piece of hinoki cypress, it stands 96.5 cm high, with crystal eyes and lacquer-and-gold-leaf finish, forming the raigo mudra while standing on a split lotus pedestal. A printed image of a seated Amida is enclosed inside the statue. It is the only Buddhist statue in the Iwami region designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan and remains enshrined as the principal image of Shingakuin.
Kezoji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Fudo Myo-o Statue (Cliff-Carved Buddha) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
島根県松江市枕木町205
Visiting Status Viewable at all times from the temple grounds (regular visiting hours 8:00–17:00; worship is possible outside these hours, but staff are unavailable)
PowerDignityMystery
The stone Fudo Myoo standing on a cliff midway along the temple approach is about 9 meters high and is regarded as the largest cliff-carved Buddhist image in Shimane Prefecture. Because Mount Makuragi lies in the northeast, traditionally considered the unlucky direction of Matsue Castle, the statue is said to have been erected by the monk Shoan during the Keio era to pray for national protection and the castle's security. Kezoji is an ancient temple traditionally founded by the monk Chigen in 825, and the Fudo image remains a prominent object of worship along its approach.
Joanji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Komokuten and Tamonten Standing Statues Category Tenbu (Deva)
島根県安来市広瀬町富田439
Visiting Status 9:00–16:00 (donation requested)
PowerDignityTense Presence
The wooden standing Komokuten and Tamonten, enshrined as attendants to the principal image in the Main Hall, are both designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The two guardian deities wear vividly colored armor and are introduced in official tourism information as works of the Kamakura period. Joanji is an old Rinzai Zen temple founded during the Showa era of 1312–1317 and rebuilt at its present location in 1903. Together with the garden known as a Sesshu-style copy, the two statues are among the temple's principal highlights.
Iwakuraji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Sho Kannon and Wooden Taishakuten Standing Statues Category Bodhisattva / Heavenly Deity
島根県安来市広瀬町富田562
Visiting Status Advance contact required (irregular closing days)
NobilityDignitySolemnity
The principal wooden Sho Kannon and its attendant wooden Taishakuten are both designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. Iwakuraji is an ancient Shingon Buddhist temple traditionally founded in 726. It originally stood in Yamasa and is said to have been moved to its present site at the foot of Gassan Toda Castle by the priest Koken in 1187. A local tradition tells that Kannon appeared in the abbot's dream and instructed him to move the image to Toda. The temple is the 18th site of the Izumo Kannon Pilgrimage, and visitors are asked to contact the temple in advance.
Tadaji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Heavenly Deity Statue Group (59 figures) Category Tenbu (Deva)
島根県浜田市生湯町1767
Visiting Status 8:00–17:00 (no regular closing days; admission free)
PowerDignityDepth
The Main Hall houses a group of 59 wooden heavenly-deity statues commonly known as the 'Nagare-botoke.' The group includes figures such as the Four Heavenly Kings, Twelve Heavenly Generals, and Nio guardians, all carved from single blocks of hinoki cypress. According to Hamada City's cultural heritage information, they are local works dating no later than the middle Heian period, and 27 of the 59 figures with relatively good preservation are designated cultural properties of Shimane Prefecture. Tadaji is an ancient Shingon temple traditionally founded by the monk Ryusei in 806 and is the 22nd temple of the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage. It can be visited free of charge from 8:00 to 17:00.
Kezoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
島根県松江市枕木町205
Visiting Status 8:00–17:00 (worship is possible outside these hours, but staff are unavailable)
PeacefulnessNobilitySolemnity
The wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai enshrined in Yakushido Hall dates to the late Heian period and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Kezoji is an ancient temple traditionally founded by the monk Chigen in 825. It was revived as a Zen temple in the late Kamakura period and, during the Edo period, was valued as a temple of prayer protecting the unlucky northeast direction of Matsue Castle. The image remains enshrined as the principal deity of Yakushido Hall and can be worshipped on Mount Makuragi.
Myogiji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
島根県益田市七尾町1-40
Visiting Status 9:00–17:00 (no regular closing days; advance confirmation is recommended for viewing the statue)
NobilityStillnessDepth
The wooden standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu is thought to date to the 10th century in the Heian period and is regarded as the oldest Buddhist sculpture in the Masuda area. Standing 176 cm high, its head and body were carved from a single piece of hinoki cypress without hollowing, preserving an early sculptural style. It is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Masuda City. The image originally served as the principal icon of a Kannon hall in Kannonmachi and was moved to Myogiji in 1968. Myogiji is an old temple traditionally founded during the Bun'ei era (1264–1274) and is also included among the component properties of the Japan Heritage story 'A Masterpiece of Medieval Japan: Experience Masuda.'
Mineji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Dainichi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
島根県雲南市三刀屋町給下1381
Visiting Status Open for regular viewing in the Main Hall (visiting hours 8:30–17:00; worship is possible outside these hours, but staff are unavailable)
PeacefulnessNobilitySolemnity
The wooden seated Dainichi Nyorai, the principal image of the Main Hall, is thought to date to around the 12th century in the late Heian period and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Unnan City. It displays the calm style associated with examples from the capital, while the arms from the shoulders downward and the gilt-bronze crown are later additions. The statue is thought to have been repaired when the Main Hall was rebuilt in 1826. It is a rare surviving old Dainichi image from the Heian period in Shimane Prefecture and can still be viewed regularly in the Main Hall. Mineji is an ancient Shingon temple traditionally said to have been founded by En no Ozunu in 658 and has long been revered as a principal training center of Izumo Shugendo.
Dainichi Nyorai Hall
Buddhist Image Two Wooden Seated Dainichi Nyorai, Three Wooden Seated Nyorai, Wooden Standing Fudo Myo-o, and Wooden Standing Kannon Bosatsu Category Buddha / Wisdom King / Bodhisattva
島根県雲南市大東町田中1267
Visiting Status Advance confirmation recommended (official information does not state viewing hours; contact the managing temple, Manpukuji, before visiting)
SolemnityDepthPeacefulness
The hall enshrines two wooden seated Dainichi Nyorai representing the Kongokai and Taizokai mandalas, together with seated Yakushi Nyorai, Shaka Nyorai, and Amida Nyorai, as well as a standing Fudo Myoo and a standing Kannon Bosatsu. Both Dainichi images are considered works of the late Heian period; the Kongokai image was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Shimane Prefecture in 1960 and the Taizokai image in 1993. The three seated Nyorai are also late-Heian works preserved as prefecturally designated cultural properties. Unnan City's official tourism information lists admission as free but does not state viewing hours, so visitors should confirm access with the managing temple, Manpukuji, in advance.
Iwayaji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Triad Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
島根県松江市宍道町上来待1131
Visiting Status Open for worship (open daily, admission free)
MysteryDepthStillness
A Yakushi triad is enshrined in a Yakushido Hall built inside a large rock cave about 100 meters behind the temple. The images are traditionally attributed to Gyoki, although the official information does not specify a production date. Iwayaji is an old Koyasan Shingon temple and is said to have been restored by the monk Kakuson in 1682. To the right of the cave is a waterfall over 10 meters high, and Buddhist figures and Sanskrit seed syllables are carved into the surrounding rock walls. The temple is open daily with free admission, offering a distinctive devotional setting where natural rock formations and Buddhist imagery come together.