Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Idoji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Kongo Rikishi Guardians (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
徳島県徳島市国府町井戸北屋敷80-1
Visiting Status Viewable from the entrance gate (confirm visiting hours in advance)
PowerDignityTense Presence
A pair of Kongo Rikishi guardians, Agyo and Ungyo, stands in the brightly vermilion-painted Niomon Gate of Idoji, Temple No. 17 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. Tokushima Prefecture's official tourism guide identifies them as Kamakura-period statues approximately one jo two shaku (about 3.6 meters) tall, making them among the largest guardian figures on the pilgrimage. They guard the gate with fierce expressions and imposing bodies, while large straw sandals are offered behind them. The warrior-style gate traces its origins to the gate of the Hachisuka lords' Otani residence; the present structure was reconstructed in that style. Visitors can view the impressive guardians at the entrance. Separately, the main hall enshrines an unusual principal image of seven Yakushi Nyorai statues.
Sabadaishi Honbo (Yasakadera Temple)
Buddhist Image Kobo Daishi Holding a Mackerel (Sabadaishi) Category Other
徳島県海部郡海陽町浅川字中相15
Visiting Status Worship possible at Daishi Hall (viewable through a lattice; confirm visiting hours)
WarmthGentlenessMystery
In the Daishi Hall of Sabadaishi Honbo, Temple No. 4 on the Shikoku 20 Extra Temples Pilgrimage, is a stone image of Kobo Daishi holding a mackerel. Depicting a Buddhist teacher with a fish is unusual among pilgrimage statues, and visitors can still see it through the hall's lattice. Temple legend tells of a packhorse driver who refused to give salted mackerel to the traveling monk Kukai. When his horse suddenly fell ill, the driver apologized and offered the fish, and the horse recovered through the monk's prayers. The tradition gave rise to the practice of abstaining from mackerel for three years while praying for recovery from illness and happiness. Another stone sculpture depicting a mackerel stands in the grounds, making this a distinctive place associated with pilgrimage culture in southern Shikoku.
Kakurinji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Kongo Rikishi Guardians (Nio Statues) Category Tenbu (Deva)
徳島県勝浦郡勝浦町生名鷲ヶ尾14
Visiting Status Viewable at the Niomon Gate, facing outdoors (confirm visiting hours in advance)
PowerDignityStillness
Kongo Rikishi guardian statues protect the gate of Kakurinji, Temple No. 20 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. Tradition attributes them to Unkei, a Buddhist sculptor of the Kamakura period, although the attribution has not been confirmed. After passing the powerful guardians, visitors encounter crane statues recalling the temple's founding legend of a pair of white cranes protecting a golden Jizo Bodhisattva. Kakurinji stands about 470 meters above sea level amid old cedar and cypress trees. Its grounds include a three-story pagoda designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokushima Prefecture. According to temple tradition, Kobo Daishi founded the temple in 798. Known as a tranquil mountain sanctuary reached by a steep pilgrimage path, it allows visitors to see the guardian statues up close at the gate.
Yakuoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Kongo Rikishi Guardians (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
徳島県海部郡美波町奥河内字寺前285-1
Visiting Status Viewable at the Niomon Gate (enshrined on both sides; confirm visiting hours in advance)
PowerDignityTense Presence
At the Niomon Gate of Yakuoji, Temple No. 23 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, stand a pair of wooden Kongo Rikishi guardians, Agyo and Ungyo. Carved in 1836 by Buddhist sculptors Shiogama Koun and Yasunobu, they are approximately 230 centimeters tall and made from joined Japanese cypress wood. Their fierce faces and dynamic bodies convey great strength. Restored in 2000, they were designated cultural properties by the former Hiwasa Town in 2001 and are now Tangible Cultural Properties designated by Minami Town. The gate was built in 1835 and dismantled for repairs in 2012. Beyond it rise the 33 steps of the women's misfortune-warding slope and the 42 steps of the men's slope, where worshippers traditionally place small offerings on each step to pray for protection. The guardian statues can be viewed on either side of the gate.
Yakuoji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Gyoran Kannon (Fish-Basket Avalokiteshvara) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
徳島県海部郡美波町奥河内字寺前285-1
Visiting Status Viewable outdoors on the temple grounds (confirm visiting hours in advance)
WarmthGentlenessPurity
In front of the main hall at Yakuoji, Temple No. 23 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, stands a bronze statue of Gyoran Kannon. Unlike more familiar depictions of Kannon, it portrays a woman holding a basket filled with fish, shrimp and other seafood. This unusual form of the bodhisattva derives from a Tang-dynasty Chinese legend in which Kannon, disguised as a young fish seller, taught Buddhism to the people. The statue was donated by the Osaka City Central Wholesale Market and is revered by people in the fishing and market trades, who pray for abundant catches, safety at sea and business prosperity. It is a distinctive image at Yakuoji, a seaside temple known for prayers against misfortune, and visitors can see it up close outdoors.
Yakuoji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Statues of the Ten Kings (Including Enma) Category Other
徳島県海部郡美波町奥河内字寺前285-1
Visiting Status Viewable outdoors on the temple grounds (confirm visiting hours in advance)
DignityTense PresenceMystery
Beside the Jizo Hall at Yakuoji, Temple No. 23 of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, stand stone statues of the Ten Kings of the Underworld, with King Enma at their center. In Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife, the Ten Kings judge the deeds of the dead, each associated with a memorial observance from the seventh day after death through the third-year rites. A large image of Enma stands amid statues of the other kings. Enma is linked with Jizo Bodhisattva, and each king has an associated Buddhist deity regarded as their true form. The statues, with different faces and appearances, may be seen up close outdoors. At Yakuoji, a temple known for warding off misfortune, they offer a glimpse into traditional beliefs about wrongdoing and judgment after death.
Shozanji Temple
Buddhist Image Maedachi (Proxy) Statue of Three-Faced Daikokuten Category Tenbu (Deva)
徳島県名西郡神山町下分字地中318
Visiting Status Maedachi (proxy statue) viewable in Three-Faced Daikokuten Hall (principal image hidden; confirm visiting hours)
MysterySolemnityPower
Beside the main hall at Shozanji, Temple No. 12 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, the Three-Faced Daikokuten Hall enshrines a maedachi (proxy statue) depicting three faces on one body. Its central face is Daikokuten, its right face Bishamonten, and its left face Benzaiten—an unusual combination revered for warding off misfortune and bringing abundant harvests and prosperity. Temple tradition holds that, after Kobo Daishi subdued a giant serpent on the mountain with the protection of Kokuzo Bodhisattva, he carved and enshrined the original Three-Faced Daikokuten. That principal statue remains hidden, but worshippers can view its maedachi inside the hall. Shozanji stands near the eighth station of its mountain amid towering centuries-old cedar trees; although once reached by a difficult pilgrimage trail, it is now also accessible by road.
Konsenji Temple
Buddhist Image Kurikara Ryuo (Dragon King) Statue Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
徳島県板野郡板野町大寺字亀山下66
Visiting Status Viewable outdoors on the temple grounds (confirm visiting hours in advance)
PowerMysteryTense Presence
Between the main and Daishi halls at Konsenji, Temple No. 3 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, stands a statue of Kurikara Ryuo. Regarded as a manifestation of Fudo Myoo, it takes the striking form of a dragon coiling around a sword backed by flames. The sword and dragon symbolize cutting through the three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance in Buddhism. Visitors can see the outdoor image at close range. The grounds also contain the Golden Well, traditionally said to have been dug by Kobo Daishi, a vermilion Niomon Gate and a pagoda. Temple tradition says Gyoki founded Konsenji at the request of Emperor Shomu. It remains a familiar stop near the beginning of the Shikoku pilgrimage.
Byodoji Temple
Buddhist Image Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
徳島県阿南市新野町秋山177
Visiting Status Confirm in advance (request at the stamp office; worship inside Jibutsudo when no ceremonies are taking place)
GentlenessPurityNobility
The Eleven-Headed Kannon Bodhisattva standing statue is the principal image of the Jibutsudo devotional hall at Byodoji, Temple No. 22 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. Carved from a single piece of wood, it has eleven faces above its head and holds a lotus and a water vase. Temple tradition says it was already enshrined here when Kobo Daishi visited, and the temple's alternate institutional name, Nikkoin, comes from devotion to this Kannon. Alongside the Yakushi Nyorai in the main hall, the statue is revered in prayers including those for recovery from illness, and a Kannon fire ritual is held on the 18th of each month. According to the temple's official instructions, visitors who ask at the stamp office may enter Jibutsudo and worship before the statue when no services or other events are taking place.
Byodoji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Wooden Fudo Myo-o (Acala) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
徳島県阿南市新野町秋山177
Visiting Status Worship possible at the Fudo fire ritual on the 28th of each month at 20:00 (in-person attendance allowed; confirm close viewing arrangements)
PowerDignityTense Presence
Byodoji, Temple No. 22 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, preserves a seated wooden Fudo Myoo believed to date from the Edo period. Made from joined pieces of wood, it holds a sword in its right hand and a rope in its left while seated on rock. The fierce face features 'heaven-and-earth eyes,' one looking upward and the other downward, and visible fangs, expressing the vow to cut through human delusion. On the 28th of each month at 20:00, the temple performs a Fudo fire ritual before this image, praying for protection from misfortune, relief from calamity and a peaceful, healthy life. Devotion to Fudo also underlies larger rites such as the 8,000-stick fire ritual. According to the temple's official guidance, visitors may attend evening rituals in person, although arrangements for viewing the statue at close range should be confirmed in advance.
Horinji Temple
Buddhist Image Reclining Shaka Nyorai (Parinirvana Buddha) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
徳島県阿波市土成町土成字田中198-2
Visiting Status Hidden image scheduled to be unveiled annually on February 15 (confirm date and viewing arrangements in advance)
StillnessSolemnityDepth
The principal image of Horinji, Temple No. 9 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, depicts Shakyamuni at his passing into nirvana. Horinji is known as the only temple on the pilgrimage with a reclining Buddha as its principal image. The Buddha lies on his right side with his head to the north and face to the west, surrounded by sala trees and statues of grieving arhats and animals. According to temple tradition, Kobo Daishi carved the reclining image and founded the temple in 815 after encountering a white snake. Normally hidden, the image is described by both the temple and the pilgrimage association as being shown once a year. The association gives February 15 as the scheduled unveiling day; the exact arrangements should be confirmed for each year.
Gokurakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Incised Stone Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
徳島県鳴門市大麻町桧字ダンノ上12
Visiting Status Viewable outdoors on the temple grounds (temple visiting hours 8:00–17:00)
StillnessRefinementDepth
On the grounds of Gokurakuji, Temple No. 2 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, stands a stone Buddhist image of Amida Nyorai, incised into green schist. Thought to date from the late Heian period (11th–12th century), it is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Naruto City in the archaeological-material category. The pointed slab is partly buried in the ground; its visible portion measures 167.5 centimeters high, 60.0 centimeters wide and 9.0 centimeters thick. Carefully incised lines depict the Buddha's face and flowing robes, with a full, peaceful expression and a lotus pedestal whose petals are individually rendered. Visitors can examine this early form of stone Buddhist devotion at close range outdoors. Gokurakuji also preserves a separate seated wooden Amida Nyorai as its principal image, designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
Mitsugonji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Great Fudo Myo-o (Maedachi; Fudo Triad) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
徳島県三好市池田町西山佐古3798
Visiting Status Viewable in the Octagonal Great Fudo Hall (visiting hours 8:00–17:00; confirm detailed hall arrangements in advance)
PowerDignitySolemnity
The Octagonal Great Fudo Hall at Mitsugonji, Temple No. 5 on the Shikoku 36 Fudo Pilgrimage, houses an imposing Great Fudo Myoo statue approximately 3.7 meters tall in total. Made as a maedachi (proxy image) for a Fudo statue traditionally said to have been carved by Kobo Daishi with his fingernails, it forms a triad with the attendants Kongara Doji and Seitaka Doji. Described as one of the largest Fudo images in Shikoku, it is a focus of prayer for visitors inside the hall. Mitsugonji is a mountain temple whose foundation is associated by tradition with Kobo Daishi. Every May, its Fudo Fire Festival begins with a fire ritual in the octagonal hall, followed by a fire-walking rite open to the public. Peonies decorate the temple in winter and spring; official tourism information for winter 2026 listed visiting hours as 8:00–17:00.
Bizan Peace Memorial Pagoda
Buddhist Image Buddha Relics (Shakyamuni) Category Other
徳島県徳島市眉山町茂助ケ原
Visiting Status Open for worship Sundays and holidays from spring equinox to November 30, and January 1–3, 10:00–16:00 (admission fee; temporary closures in severe weather)
StillnessSolemnityDepth
This 25-meter-tall Myanmar-style peace pagoda stands on the summit of Mount Bizan. It was erected in 1958 by people who returned from the Burma front of World War II, as a place to remember the fallen and pray for lasting peace. Inside are relics believed to be those of Shakyamuni Buddha, presented by Burma's then prime minister U Nu. The pagoda also memorializes 133,576 war dead. Its white conical form was modeled on Myanmar's Shwedagon Pagoda, and the Tokushima Buddhist Federation has managed it since 1989. After renovation in 2025, public entry resumed in January 2026, followed by a dedication ceremony on September 26, 2026. This is a Buddhist place of worship centered on relics rather than a statue, accessible on foot from the summit ropeway station.
Takiji Temple
Buddhist Image Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
徳島県三好市三野町加茂野宮1796
Visiting Status Hidden image unveiled annually on January 29; confirm viewing hours in advance
GentlenessNobilityStillness
Takiji Temple in Miyoshi preserves a standing wooden Sho Kannon Bodhisattva as its principal image. Dating to the Heian period, the 126.0-centimeter-tall statue is carved from a single block of wood. It holds a lotus in its left hand and stands almost upright on a lotus pedestal. Its short neck, large topknot and angular shoulders retain an early sculptural style, while its face appears gentle. The statue was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1911. The temple is traditionally said to have been founded by Kobo Daishi in the ninth century and is also known for the tomb of Miyoshi Nagayoshi. The principal image is normally hidden, but Miyoshi City's official tourism guide states that it is unveiled on January 29 each year, when worshippers may see it. Parking is available.
Anrakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Wooden Amida Nyorai by Myokei Matsumoto Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
徳島県板野郡上板町引野字寺の西北8
Visiting Status Viewable during the evening service (usually 19:00, sometimes 17:30; cancellations possible). Overnight guests may participate; non-guests should inquire in advance.
SolemnityNobilityPeacefulness
In the Shoryoden Hall of Anrakuji, Temple No. 6 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, stands a gilded wooden Amida Nyorai made in 2010 by renowned Kyoto Buddhist sculptor Myokei Matsumoto. The fully gold-leaf-covered image reaches a total height of 5.2 meters, including its fittings, while the temple describes the figure itself as approximately one jo (3 meters) tall. Anrakuji enshrines many works by Matsumoto. In the Shoryoden Hall, visitors can encounter this imposing Buddha alongside large mandalas of the two esoteric realms and a stone wall carved with examples of Kobo Daishi's calligraphy. The hall is not normally open for unrestricted entry, but the temple offers viewing during its evening service and associated tour. Services usually begin at 19:00, occasionally at 17:30, and may be canceled for temple events. Overnight guests can join; other visitors should confirm arrangements beforehand.
Jinguji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Yakushi Triad (Yakushi Nyorai, Nikko and Gakko Bodhisattvas) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
徳島県美馬郡つるぎ町半田字東久保884
Visiting Status Contact the temple in advance (general temple visits possible; access to the triad in the inner sanctuary requires permission)
RefinementSolemnityPeacefulness
Jinguji, an Omuro-school Shingon temple on a hillside in Handa, Tsurugi Town, preserves a wooden Yakushi Nyorai triad as its principal images. The central seated Medicine Buddha is 138 centimeters high, made by joining pieces of wood and finished with lacquer and gold leaf. It is flanked by standing Nikko Bodhisattva, 90 centimeters tall, and Gakko Bodhisattva, 88 centimeters tall. The three elegant figures retain the restrained sculptural style of the Muromachi period and were designated cultural properties by the former Handa Town in 1977 and are now Tangible Cultural Properties designated by Tsurugi Town. Jinguji is also Temple No. 69 on the New Shikoku Mandala Pilgrimage and No. 8 on the western Awa Saigoku Kannon route. The hillside temple is known for peonies and views over the town. Accounts describe visitors praying inside its main hall with the priest's permission, but viewing access to the designated statues themselves should be arranged in advance.
Zentsuji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
香川県善通寺市善通寺町3-3-1
Visiting Status Open daily in the Kondo, 7:00–17:00 (free)
SolemnityPeacefulnessDignity
The principal image enshrined in the Kondo of Zentsuji, Temple No. 75 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, is a seated wooden Yakushi Nyorai approximately 3 m tall. It is made of joined Japanese cypress wood, finished with lacquer and gold leaf, and has crystal-inlaid eyes. The original clay image was damaged by fire in 1558; the present statue was made in 1700 by Kitagawa Uncho, a master sculptor of the Omuro school. The statue is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Kagawa Prefecture, while the Kondo building is an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Visitors may view the statue freely from 7:00 to 17:00, and a monthly Yakushi service takes place on the 8th.
Iyadaniji Temple
Buddhist Image Rock-Carved Amida Triad Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
香川県三豊市三野町大見乙70
Visiting Status Visible along the temple path (steep steps; check visiting hours)
MysteryStillnessDepth
At Iyadaniji, Temple No. 71 of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, a rock-carved Amida triad appears on the cliff beside the steps leading from the Daishi Hall to the main hall. Approximately 1 m high, the figures have gentle expressions framed by boat-shaped halos. Tradition attributes the carving to Kobo Daishi, but its date and maker are not established. Mount Iyadani has long been revered in connection with ancestral spirits, and the carvings and caves across its rocky slopes reflect this mountain faith. The triad can be viewed directly from the path, though the ascent involves steep steps.
Honenji Temple
Buddhist Image Reclining Shaka Nyorai and Three-Dimensional Nirvana Group Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
香川県高松市仏生山町甲3215
Visiting Status Indoor viewing 9:00–16:00 (adults ¥500)
SolemnityDepthMystery
At Sanbutsudo Hall of Honenji, the family temple of the Matsudaira lords of Takamatsu, a remarkable group of sculptures depicts the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha into nirvana. Centered on the wooden reclining Buddha known as the 'Reclining Buddha of Sanuki,' the scene includes the Ten Great Disciples, arhats, animals, and Maya, the Buddha's mother, descending from above, recreating a nirvana painting in three dimensions. The temple was developed in the 17th century by the first lord, Matsudaira Yorishige, as a place of Pure Land devotion. The sculptures are said to have been made to memorialize his wife. After a traveling museum exhibition, the complete group has been viewable again since December 2025. Hall admission is 9:00–16:00, ¥500 for adults.