Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Unryū-in Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Triad / Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
StillnessPurityDepth
Unryū-in, a branch temple of Sennyū-ji founded at the wish of Emperor Go-Kōgon, enshrines the Yakushi Triad in the Important Cultural Property main hall, Ryūge-den. A Fujiwara-period seated Yakushi Nyorai is flanked by Nikkō and Gakkō Bodhisattvas, and the temple is the 40th site of the Saigoku Yakushi Pilgrimage. Emperor Go-En’yū established its tradition of sutra copying, which continues in the main hall today. Healing prayers, imperial associations, and spaces such as the Window of Enlightenment create an atmosphere of quiet clarity.
Shōren-in Monzeki Temple
Buddhist Image Shijōkō Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto 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
NobilityMysteryDignity
Shōren-in Monzeki’s Shijōkō-dō enshrines Shijōkō Nyorai (Tejaprabha Buddha). The hidden principal image is a seed-syllable mandala, about two meters square, with the Sanskrit syllable representing the Buddha at its center; regular worship is offered before an omaedachi image. Shōren-in is said to be the only temple in Japan with Shijōkō Nyorai as its principal deity. Within the refined dignity of this imperial monzeki temple, visitors can sense the depth of esoteric prayers for pacifying calamities and restoring peace.
Kōsan-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Please check before visiting
StillnessDepthPurity
Kozan-ji’s Golden Hall stands in the deepest part of the mountain precinct and enshrines Shaka Nyorai (Shakyamuni Buddha) as the temple’s principal image. Myōe, the founding priest, devoted himself to Shakyamuni with the affection of a child for a father, and the temple has maintained that devotion since its founding. The present hall was transferred from Ninna-ji’s Shinkō-in during the early Edo period. Normally closed to the public, it preserves a hidden spiritual center beyond the fame of the Chōjū Jinbutsu Giga scrolls and Sekisui-in.
Osorezan Sacred Site
Buddhist Image Enmei Jizō Bosatsu (Life-Prolonging Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Mutsu City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
DepthStillnessMystery
The Jizō Hall is the central sanctuary of sacred Mount Osore and enshrines its principal image, an approximately two-meter-tall Enmei Jizō Bosatsu (Life-Prolonging Kṣitigarbha) traditionally attributed to Ennin. Unusually, the image wears the robes and kesa of a Buddhist monk. Prayers for the happiness and peace of the living are offered here, while legend says that Jizō leaves the hall at night to save souls still wandering through the precinct. Against the volcanic landscape of hells and Sai-no-Kawara, the hall embodies protection, compassion, and profound mystery.
Kennin-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
DignityRefinementStillness
The Hattō (Dharma Hall) stands at the center of Kennin-ji’s monastic compound. On the main altar sits Shaka Nyorai (Shakyamuni Buddha), flanked by the disciples Mahākāśyapa and Ānanda, forming the spiritual heart of this Zen temple. Overhead, Koizumi Junsaku’s monumental Twin Dragons spreads across the ceiling. The hall combines disciplined stillness with a powerful sense of solemn dignity.
Daigo-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Please check before visiting
StillnessMysteryPurity
Nyoirindō stands near the summit of Kami-Daigo and enshrines Nyoirin Kannon, with Bishamonten and Kisshōten in the side bays. Tradition holds that it was one of the first two halls established when Shōbō, founder of Daigo-ji, opened the mountain sanctuary in 876. The present Important Cultural Property was rebuilt during the Toyotomi restoration in the early seventeenth century. Reached only after a mountain ascent, the hall preserves a secluded stillness and reveals the ascetic, spiritual depth of Daigo-ji beyond the lower complex.
Rurikō-in Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Open only during special viewing periods
PurityStillnessPeacefulness
Rurikō-in, the Kyoto temple of Muryōju-zan Kōmyō-ji, is surrounded by the natural beauty of Yase and is celebrated for fresh green maples and brilliant autumn foliage reflected across its polished interiors. Its principal image is a standing Amida Buddha said to date from the Muromachi period, whose rounded, graceful features express a quiet prayer for peace. Beyond the beauty of the gardens, the temple invites visitors to encounter the Pure Land through devotion to Amida. Admission is limited to special opening periods in spring, summer, and autumn.
Ryōan-ji Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Please check before visiting
StillnessRefinementDepth
Ryōan-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple of the Myōshin-ji school, known worldwide for the abstract beauty of its rock garden and registered as part of the World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Its principal image is Shaka Nyorai (Shakyamuni Buddha), enshrined in the Buddha Hall. Looking beyond the celebrated garden toward the temple’s devotional center reveals Ryōan-ji not only as a masterpiece of landscape design, but also as a living place of Zen faith and practice.
Ryūsui-ji Dainichibō Temple
Buddhist Image Yudonosan Daigongen (Ryōbu Dainichi Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
MysteryTense PresenceDepth
Dainichibo, the head temple of sacred Mount Yudono, was founded according to tradition by Kūkai in 807. Its hidden principal deity is Yudonosan Daigongen, identified with Dainichi Nyorai in the Diamond and Womb Realms, and is unveiled once every six years in the Years of the Ox and Sheep. The temple also preserves the sokushinbutsu of Shinnyokai Shōnin, an ascetic who devoted his life to relieving suffering and entered meditation underground at the age of ninety-six. In the mountains of Shōnai, esoteric faith and the severe ideal of self-sacrifice remain powerfully present.
Naritasan Sendai Branch Temple
Buddhist Image Fudō Myōō (Acala) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
33-2 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors (9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.); closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
PowerDignitySolemnity
Naritasan Sendai Branch Temple stands halfway up Mount Aoba and was opened in 1982 as a branch of Naritasan Shinshō-ji. Its principal image is Fudō Myōō (Acala), ritually enshrined from the head temple at Narita. On the rooftop rises the temple’s best-known landmark, a 16.5-meter bronze Great Fudō weighing about 25 tons. Sword and lasso express the Wisdom King’s power to cut through delusion, restrain harmful impulses, and guide people toward the right path. Together with goma fire rituals and sweeping views across Sendai, the immense image creates a striking place of prayer and protection.
Daikanmitsuji Temple (Sendai Daikannon)
Buddhist Image Sendai Tendō Byakue Daikannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
31-36 Nakayama Minami, Izumi-ku, Sendai, Miyagi
Visiting Status Interior viewing available
DignityMysterySolemnity
Daikanmitsuji Temple is home to the Sendai Daikannon, a 100-meter-tall white Kannon statue standing on a hill in Izumi Ward, Sendai. Inside the statue, visitors can see statues of the Twelve Divine Generals, the Thirty-Three Kannon, and one hundred Kannon images. From the upper floors, there is also a view over Sendai and toward the Pacific Ocean.
Naritasan Sendai Branch Temple
Buddhist Image Fudō Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
33-2 Aza Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors
PowerDignitySolemnity
Naritasan Sendai Branch Temple is a temple of the Chizan School of Shingon Buddhism, located on the hillside of Aobayama in Sendai. Its principal image is Fudō Myōō, enshrined as a sacred manifestation brought from Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. On the rooftop observation deck stands a monumental 16.5-meter-high statue of Fudō Myōō. Holding a sword and a rope, the powerful figure expresses both the sternness and compassion of the Wisdom King, who cuts through worldly attachments and protects those who seek guidance. Overlooking the city of Sendai, this Buddhist site offers a striking encounter with the tradition of goma fire rituals and the commanding presence of the great statue.
Honpukuji Temple
Buddhist Image Fudō Myo-o / Great Fudō Myo-o Statue Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
2120 Oaza Miyaura, Kiyama, Miyaki District, Saga Prefecture 841-0204, Japan
Visiting Status Please check before visiting
PowerDignitySolemnity
Honpuku-ji is the head temple of the Kōmyō Nenbutsu Shingoshōshū school, standing at the southern foot of Mount Kizan, an ancient center of mountain ascetic practice. Its main hall enshrines Fudō Myōō, while Zenpō Hall houses a vividly painted wooden Great Fudō by the sculptor-monk Nishida Hōun, measuring six meters high and seven meters across. The spacious grounds also contain one of western Japan’s largest five-story pagodas and a devotional circuit representing pilgrimage sites from across Japan. Monumental architecture and active goma practice make this an open and energetic center of esoteric Buddhist faith.
Wada Daibutsu and Rock-Cut Tombs
Buddhist Image Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Wada, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Always open to visitors
MysteryStillnessDepth
Wada Daibutsu is a roughly 3.6-meter rock-carved Buddha cut into a hillside cliff on the western bank of the Abukuma River. It is traditionally identified as Amida Buddha, though heavy weathering has also led some to interpret it as Dainichi Nyorai. Legend attributes the carving to Kūkai during his travels in 808. Ancient corridor-style tombs remain across the same cliff, layering a late-Kofun-period burial ground with later Buddhist devotion. The worn breast of the image also preserves traces of a once-popular prayer for abundant breast milk, revealing how closely the sacred site was tied to everyday life.
Bukkoku-ji Temple (Ayashi Daibutsu)
Buddhist Image Ayashi Daibutsu (Great Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
49-1 Aza Otakehara, Imozawa, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors (please confirm before visiting)
DignityPeacefulnessWarmth
Aiko Daibutsu stands at Bukkoku-ji on a hillside in Aoba Ward, Sendai, facing due south as if watching over the town of Ayashi. The approximately 16-meter statue was erected in 2002 as a guardian of the Jōdo Mausoleum and Ayashi-no-Oka Cemetery. Flowers and greenery soften the monumental setting, and the slope car Nam-Nam-gō carries visitors from the parking area to the foot of the image. Its great scale conveys dignity, while the accessible grounds and the temple’s community activities give the site a warm and welcoming character.
Inori no Sato Aizu-mura (Hokoku-ji Temple Aizu Branch)
Buddhist Image Aizu Jibo Dai-Kannon (Great Compassionate Mother Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
7 Aza Dogairi, Asayama, Kawahigashi-machi, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
Visiting Status Usually open to visitors (9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Apr.–Nov.; 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Dec.–Mar.; last admission 3:00 p.m.; temporary closures possible)
GentlenessPeacefulnessDignity
Aizu Jibo Daikannon rises 57 meters above Inori no Sato Aizu Mura, overlooking the Aizu Basin and Mount Bandai. Built as a prayer for world peace, it became the symbol of the “Village of Prayer,” founded in 1986. Visitors can enter the colossal image, where a Thousand-Armed Kannon and Buddhist statues from Thailand, India, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia are enshrined. Operated today as the Aizu branch of Hōkoku-ji, the site hosts memorial services and prayers. The maternal expression of the great Kannon brings together contemporary devotion, remembrance, and the presence of a regional landmark.
Kaiganzan Fumonji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Kannon, Bronze Great Buddha and Five Hundred Arhats Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
181 Jichikuzawa, Yonesaki-cho, Rikuzentakata, Iwate 029-2206, Japan
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (check the official website before visiting)
Serenitydepthpeace
Fumon-ji is a historic Sōtō Zen temple in Rikuzentakata, traditionally founded in 1241 and established at its present site as a Zen temple in 1504. Its grounds preserve an Iwate Prefecture-designated wooden seated figure traditionally identified as Shō Kannon, along with a designated three-story pagoda and a bronze Great Buddha. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, many Buddhist images were donated to the temple. Most moving are the Five Hundred Rakan created in memory of the disaster’s victims, each carrying the individuality of the person who carved it. Ancient Kannon devotion and living memorial practice quietly meet here.
Kumanozan Kosaiji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Bronze Amida Nyorai (Miyo Great Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
44 Tera-no-iri, Miyo, Kashima-machi, Iwaki, Fukushima 971-8146, Japan
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (check with the temple before visiting)
Gentlenesspeacefamiliarity
The Great Buddha of Miyo is an open-air bronze seated Amida Buddha at Kōsen-ji in Iwaki. Cast in 1778, the image measures 2.76 meters high and reaches 3.63 meters with its pedestal. Its elongated face bears a restrained smile, while inscriptions on the base record the circumstances of its creation and the names of makers and donors. Damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, the city-designated cultural property was restored through local support. Its survival links Edo-period faith with the determination of the present community to preserve what it has inherited.
Umi no Mieru Inochi no Mori (Sea-View Forest of Life)
Buddhist Image Minamisanriku Great Buddha Category Unknown
99-17 Kurosaki, Shizugawa, Minamisanriku, Motoyoshi District, Miyagi 986-0766, Japan
Visiting Status Open to visitors (check weather and trail conditions before visiting)
Peacestillnesspurity
Minamisanriku Daibutsu, a white-marble Buddha donated from Myanmar in 2019, stands on the hilltop at Umi no Mieru Inochi no Mori overlooking Shizugawa Bay. The statue itself is about three meters high and rises to roughly five meters with its pedestal. Consecration rites were performed in both Myanmar and Japanese Buddhist traditions. The image bears three aspirations—repose for the dead, freedom from fear, and the fulfillment of vows—and stands beside a tsunami memorial stone. It is both a place of remembrance for victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and a visible symbol of life, refuge, and hope.
Fukujuzan Daikokuden Myohoji Temple
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Statue for the Memorial of the Great East Japan Earthquake Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
57 Osawa, Kawabe-machi, Iwaki, Fukushima 979-0153, Japan
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (check the official website or contact the temple before visiting)
Peacestrengthsolemnity
A golden statue of Shakyamuni dedicated to the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake stands in the outdoor grounds of Myōhō-ji in Kawabe, Iwaki. It was erected to mourn those who died on March 11, 2011, to pray for the town’s earliest possible recovery, and to bring calm to the hearts of temple members and worshippers. Set beneath an open sky amid the surrounding mountains, the figure expresses a prayer that acknowledges grief while continuing toward the future. The nearby memorial to freestyle motocross rider Eigo Sato further makes the precinct a place where personal and communal memories are held.