Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Jojuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Kongo Rikishi Statues (pair) Category Tenbu (Deva)
岡山県岡山市北区建部町富沢682
Visiting Status Freely viewable
PowerDignityTense Presence
A pair of wooden Kongo Rikishi statues is enshrined in the Nio Gate and designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture. Made in joined-block construction, the Agyo figure is 207.0 cm tall and the Ungyo figure 205.2 cm. Although no ink inscription or similar record survives, the pair is regarded as a Kamakura-period work that faithfully carries on the Kei-school style, with powerful physiques and refined sculptural expression. Okayama Prefecture lists the statues as freely viewable, allowing visitors to worship them on the temple grounds.
Bukkyouji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Kongo Rikishi Statues (pair) Category Tenbu (Deva)
岡山県久米郡久米南町仏教寺84
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (viewing by consultation)
PowerDignityTense Presence
These two wooden Kongo Rikishi statues were formerly enshrined in the Nio Gate in front of the Main Hall and are now kept in a repository beside the hall. The Agyo figure is 272.0 cm tall and the Ungyo figure 296.6 cm; both are made of joined hinoki wood. An inscription inside the Agyo bears the date 1249, although the statues are thought to have been made in the mid-Kamakura period or later. Traces of green, vermilion, and black pigments remain, and the pair is designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture. They are normally closed to the public; prospective visitors should consult the temple.
Jigen-in Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岡山県岡山市東区古都南方1200
Visiting Status Advance contact required
NobilityDepthStillness
This wooden seated Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu was made in 1303 and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture. Carved from hinoki wood using the split-and-hollowed single-block technique, it was created as an unpainted image in the manner of a danzo sculpture. The work is associated with the mature period of the Nara sculptor Kakusei and is considered a valuable example of a Japanese-style danzo image from the Kamakura period. Advance contact with Jigen-in is required for viewing.
Ueterasan Yokeiji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岡山県瀬戸内市邑久町北島1187
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (shown at the annual October Temple Treasure Exhibition; in 2026, October 12, 9:30–16:00)
NobilityRefinementDepth
This wooden standing Sho Kannon Bosatsu is thought to date from the early Heian period and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Carved from a single block of wood, it wears a cylindrical crown, lowers the right hand with the palm facing forward, and bends the left arm to hold an attribute. The body was finished with gold leaf over black lacquer, while the robes are thought originally to have been painted. Its style shares features with Yokeiji's wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai. It is normally closed to the public and is shown during the temple's annual October Treasure Exhibition. In 2026, the exhibition is held on October 12 from 9:30 to 16:00.
Koboji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岡山県瀬戸内市牛窓町千手239
Visiting Status Viewable from outside the Jogyo Hall (the face of the principal image can be worshipped through an upper front window)
SolemnityPeacefulnessDepth
The wooden seated Amida Nyorai is the principal image of Koboji's Jogyo Hall. At 282 cm high, it is a large jo-roku-scale image seated in full lotus on an octagonal draped pedestal atop the ruri altar, with the hands forming the meditation mudra. Traces of lacquer and gold leaf remain on the statue, pedestal, and halo; the monumental halo is decorated with reishi-shaped clouds and numerous small Buddha figures. The image is considered older than the present Jogyo Hall, which was rebuilt in 1781, and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Setouchi City. An upper window in the front of the hall allows visitors to worship the face of the principal image from outside.
Shozoin Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Group of Figures of the Underworld (20 figures) Category Other
岡山県玉野市滝642
Visiting Status Advance contact required
DepthMysterySolemnity
This group of twenty wooden figures of the Buddhist underworld was commissioned in 1780 by Zoka, the priest of Shozoin, from a leading Buddhist sculptor in Kyoto, and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture. Each figure is made in joined-block construction and measures about 30–50 cm high. Centered on Enma, the group includes Jizo, Datsueba, and other figures of the underworld, with lively expressions and carefully carved pedestals demonstrating accomplished Edo-period craftsmanship. It is especially valuable that all twenty figures survive together without loss. Advance contact with Shozoin is required for viewing.
Tojuin Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Amida Nyorai by Kaikei Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岡山県瀬戸内市牛窓町千手196
Visiting Status Advance confirmation required with Tojuin Temple
RefinementNobilityPeacefulness
This wooden standing Amida Nyorai was made in 1211 by the master Buddhist sculptor Kaikei and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The 97.2 cm figure is made of joined hinoki wood, finished with lacquer and gold leaf, fitted with crystal eyes, and shown forming the raigo mudra while wearing a robe over both shoulders. An ink inscription on the tenon beneath the foot records Kaikei's name and the exact date of production in 1211. Numerous documents were also discovered inside the statue, including records describing the circumstances that led Kaikei to create it. Viewing conditions should be confirmed with Tojuin in advance.
Jojuji Temple
Buddhist Image Three Thousand Carved Buddhas (including Shaka, Yakushi, and Amida Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岡山県岡山市中区門田文化町2-7-19
Visiting Status Open on the 6th of every month, 12:00–17:00 (free admission)
SolemnityMysteryWarmth
Sanzen Shinbutsu Anpodo was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Jojuji Temple's relocation to its present site and was consecrated on March 6, 2019. Along three walls of the hall are about 3,000 small 'tataki-bori' carved Buddhas, each roughly 20–25 cm high, made from natural wood by Naokimi and Tadaka Yamada of Shoun Kobo. Centered on Shaka, Yakushi, and Amida Nyorai, representing past, present, and future, the hall brings a vast number of Buddhist images together in a single prayer space reminiscent of the practice of worshipping the Three Thousand Buddhas. It is open free of charge from 12:00 to 17:00 on the 6th of every month.
Anyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岡山県美作市林野48
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled every 33 years; most recently on April 2, 2023)
NobilityMysteryPeacefulness
The wooden standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Made of joined hinoki wood, it has an overall height of 108.5 cm and retains the graceful style of the late Fujiwara period; tradition attributes it to the monk Eshin Sozu (942–1017). With eleven small faces above the head, it has long been revered locally as a Kannon associated with wisdom, healing from illness, and release from sin. The image is hidden and unveiled every 33 years; after a postponement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the most recent unveiling ceremony was held on April 2, 2023.
Joufukuji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
岡山県井原市芳井町吉井2356
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled only on New Year's Day in a Year of the Rooster, 9:00–17:00)
DignityPowerMystery
Joufukuji is an ancient Shingon temple traditionally said to have been founded by Gyoki in 739. Its principal image, a standing Fudo Myoo, is 88.2 cm high and carved from a single block of hinoki wood. It is thought to date from the late Heian to early Kamakura period. The figure has a full, youthful physique and preserves archaic features in the face and treatment of the robes, while the chest ornament, necklaces, attributes, and rock pedestal are later additions. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture, it is a hidden image unveiled only once every twelve years, on New Year's Day in a Year of the Rooster from 9:00 to 17:00.
Ryosanji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Seated Five Wisdom Tathagatas (Dainichi, Ashuku, Hosho, Amida, and Fukujoju Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岡山県久米郡美咲町両山寺454
Visiting Status Viewable at all times from the temple grounds (exterior viewing only)
SolemnityDepthStillness
Five stone seated Wisdom Tathagatas are enshrined on a gentle ridge south of the Main Hall and are designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture. Dainichi Nyorai occupies the center, surrounded by Ashuku, Hosho, Amida, and Fukujoju Nyorai, representing the five Buddhas of the Diamond Realm Mandala. All five are carved in the round from granite; Dainichi is about 55 cm high, while the other four measure about 45–49 cm. No inscription or construction record survives, but stylistic evidence suggests they were made in the latter half of the Muromachi period. The temple grounds are freely accessible, and the statues can be viewed from the exterior.
Yomeirazu Kannon-in Temple
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岡山県井原市大江町1036
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled annually at the Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox festivals)
GentlenessPeacefulnessWarmth
The Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu is the principal image of Yomeirazu Kannon-in. The temple is known for a faith centered on prayers for living a healthy and happy life without becoming a burden on others in old age. The grounds may be visited freely on ordinary days, but the principal image is normally hidden and is unveiled during the annual Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox festivals. The festivals are generally held from around 9:00 to 16:00, drawing many worshippers who come to pray before the image.
Tanjoji Temple
Buddhist Image Guardian Great Buddha Category Other
岡山県久米郡久米南町里方808
Visiting Status Viewable from the temple grounds (9:00–16:00)
SolemnityPowerWarmth
The Guardian Great Buddha stands on the grounds of Tanjoji beside the Kannon Hall. After the Mieido Hall was destroyed in 1578 during an attack by the forces of Ukita Naoie, the statue was consecrated in 1745 as a guardian Buddha to pray that such calamity would never occur again. It was made by Otani Sagami-no-jo Fujiwara Masatsugu, renowned as a master bell caster. The statue remains accessible for worship on the temple grounds and embodies Tanjoji's history of warfare and reconstruction.
Saidaiji Kannon-in Temple
Buddhist Image Kongo Rikishi Statues (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
岡山県岡山市東区西大寺中3-8-8
Visiting Status Viewable at all times from the temple grounds (exterior of the Nio Gate; access may be restricted during events)
PowerDignityTense Presence
The Kongo Rikishi statues of Agyo and Ungyo stand on either side of the Nio Gate at Saidaiji Kannon-in. According to temple tradition, the gate was built in 1740 and bears a repair inscription dated 1770; it is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. One of the largest three-bay, single-entrance two-story gates in Okayama Prefecture, it combines Japanese and Zen-style architectural elements, with the two guardian figures protecting the temple precincts from either side. The temple grounds are generally accessible from outside 24 hours a day, allowing the statues to be viewed from the gate exterior.
Myokoji Temple
Buddhist Image Kongo Rikishi Statues (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
岡山県瀬戸内市長船町福岡684
Visiting Status Viewable from the temple grounds (from outside the Nio Gate)
PowerDignityTense Presence
Two Kongo Rikishi statues are enshrined in the Nio Gate of Myokoji Temple and are designated an Important Cultural Property of Setouchi City. The Agyo figure is 235 cm high and the Ungyo figure 226 cm, both made of joined cedar wood. During restoration work in 2011–2012, construction records were discovered inside the heads, revealing that the pair was made in July 1626 by the Buddhist sculptor Shimizu Genbei, who took the religious name Soryu. They are valuable as a benchmark example of early Edo-period Kongo Rikishi sculpture and can be viewed from outside the gate.
Chofukuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岡山県美作市真神414
Visiting Status Viewable in the Main Hall (9:00–16:30; free admission)
PowerSolemnityDepth
The wooden standing Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu is the principal image of Chofukuji Temple and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The 2.58 m figure is made of joined hinoki wood and is noted for powerful carving that leaves rounded chisel marks across the body, slightly upturned eyes, and a strongly modeled torso from the shoulders to the abdomen. It survived the great fire of 1803, when the Main Hall and many other buildings and temple treasures were destroyed, and has continued to be revered as the temple's principal image. Viewing is available from 9:00 to 16:30 and admission is free.
Isayamaji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Fudo Myo-o and Two Attendant Boys (Fudo Myo-o, Kongara Doji, and Seitaka Doji) Category Other
岡山県真庭市鹿田482
Visiting Status Advance contact required with Isayamaji Temple
PowerDignityTense Presence
Isayamaji Temple preserves a group of three wooden figures—Fudo Myoo with Kongara Doji and Seitaka Doji—designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Fudo Myoo is 187 cm high, Kongara Doji 144.3 cm, and Seitaka Doji 151.3 cm; all three are carved from single blocks of hinoki wood. Temple tradition attributes them to Kukai, but stylistic evidence dates them to around the 10th century in the Heian period. All three have deeply carved, striking facial features, with substantial recarving of the faces thought to date from around the Muromachi period. They are now kept in a repository, and advance contact with the temple is required for viewing.
Otakiyama Saihoin
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岡山県備前市大内995
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (shown during the annual Hydrangea Festival; June 13–21 in 2026)
PeacefulnessNobilityDepth
This wooden standing Amida Nyorai is preserved at Otakiyama Saihoin. The Bizen City Board of Education designated it a municipal cultural property on August 24, 2020, recognizing it as an important and accomplished example from the late Heian period, dating to the first half of the 12th century. It is normally closed to the public but is specially shown each year during the Hydrangea Festival. In 2026, the festival runs from June 13 to 21, when the image can be viewed.
Koboji Temple
Buddhist Image Kaburi-botoke (Amida Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岡山県瀬戸内市牛窓町千手239
Visiting Status Shown and used during the annual Neri Kuyo ritual on May 5
MysterySolemnityWarmth
Koboji preserves a distinctive wooden image known as the Kaburi-botoke, used as Amida Nyorai during the temple's annual Neri Kuyo ritual on May 5. The figure was constructed in two sections, with the lower part originally separate. The surviving upper section is made in joined-block construction and is completely hollow, allowing a person to insert their head through the opening below and wear the image. In the ritual, it appears as Amida Nyorai before a hall symbolizing the Pure Land, receiving the procession of Kannon and other bodhisattvas. It is designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture, and the ritual continues to be held every May 5.
Houtouji Temple
Buddhist Image Nio Guardian Statues (pair of Kongo Rikishi) Category Tenbu (Deva)
岡山県倉敷市連島町矢柄5633
Visiting Status Viewable at all times from the temple grounds (through the lattice of the Nio Gate)
PowerDignityTense Presence
Two Nio guardian statues are enshrined in the rear chambers of Houtouji Temple's Nio Gate. Houtouji is an ancient temple traditionally founded in 859, and the gate is thought to date from the middle Muromachi period and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Kurashiki City. Although much of the temple was destroyed by fire in the Keicho era, the gate and its Nio statues are said to have survived. Visitors can view the powerful, dignified figures up close through the gate lattice.