Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Daikichizan Shoonji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Amida Nyorai (Morioka Daibutsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岩手県盛岡市上米内字松木平78-57
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (check the official website or temple before visiting)
DignityPeacefulnessSolemnity
The Morioka Daibutsu is a bronze seated Amida Nyorai at Daikichizan Shōon-ji, a Soto Zen temple in Morioka. Standing about 17 meters high and weighing approximately 170 tons including its pedestal, it was consecrated in July 1999 with four prayers: family safety, good health, prosperity in business, and traffic safety. From its hilltop setting, the great Amida watches over Morioka, combining monumental scale with a gentle sense of peace.
Sekiozenji Kamaishi Daikannon
Buddhist Image Standing Gyoran Kannon Bosatsu (Kamaishi Daikannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県釜石市大平町3丁目9-1
Visiting Status Normally open (last admission 16:30; closes 17:00 / Hours vary seasonally; temporary closures possible)
PeacefulnessMysterySolemnity
The 48.5-meter white Gyoran Kannon Bosatsu stands on a hill of the Kamasaki Peninsula in Kamaishi, overlooking Kamaishi Bay. The statue was commissioned by the 17th head priest of Sekiozenji Temple and completed on April 8, 1970. Holding a fish, Gyoran Kannon is one of the Thirty-Three Forms of Kannon; inside the statue are the Thirty-Three Kannon and the Seven Lucky Gods, and an observation deck looks across Kamaishi Bay. The site is dedicated to repose for the dead, salvation for the living, and peace in both the visible and unseen worlds.
Funaoka Castle Ruins Park
Buddhist Image Funaoka Peace Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
宮城県柴田郡柴田町大字船岡字館山95-1
Visiting Status Normally open outdoors (statue interior closed due to effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake; check park and slope-car operating hours)
PeacefulnessWarmthSolemnity
At the summit of Funaoka Castle Ruins Park in Shibata, Miyagi, stands a 24-meter concrete Kannon statue including its pedestal. Tokusaburo Noguchi, a native of Funaoka, funded its construction in October 1975 to pray for the repose of his late wife Shizu and for peace and safety in the world. Holding a dove as a symbol of peace, the statue is visible from afar and has become a familiar symbol of Shibata. The interior is currently closed because of damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Maruyama Park
Buddhist Image Yunodake Peace Kannon (Formerly Fujiwara Jibo Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県いわき市常磐藤原町湯ノ岳（丸山公園内）
Visiting Status Outdoor viewing available (free and unattended / walk from the upper part of Maruyama Park; do not drive onto the unpaved road; check trail and local conditions)
PeacefulnessWarmthSolemnity
This white Peace Kannon stands above Maruyama Park on the slope of Mt. Yunodake in Iwaki. It was originally the golden Fujiwara Jibo Kannon at the tourist attraction Iwaki Hotoke-no-Sato during Japan’s bubble-economy era; after that facility closed, local residents repainted it white and re-enshrined it beside a war memorial tower in the 2000s. Made of FRP, the statue was transformed from a commercial landmark into an object of prayer for war victims and for peace, giving it an unusual modern history.
Hyakushaku Kannon
Buddhist Image Hyakushaku Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
福島県相馬市日下石字高根沢686
Visiting Status 8:30 to around sunset (open year-round; free viewing)
PowerMysterySolemnity
This unfinished monumental cliff-carved Buddhist image in Nikkeshi, Soma, Fukushima, was carved directly into a rocky hillside. Local Buddhist sculptor Yoshiaki Ara, after traveling widely, devoted more than thirty years to carving it alone under the resolve to create “one Buddha in one lifetime.” He died before completing it, but his aspiration was inherited by his descendants, and the work is now continued by fourth-generation sculptor Yonosuke Ara. The image remains a rare Buddhist spot still moving toward completion across generations.
Tomizawa Cliff-Carved Buddhist Images
Buddhist Image Seated Amida Nyorai (Tomizawa Daibutsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
宮城県柴田郡柴田町大字富沢字岩崎山
Visiting Status Freely accessible (check local conditions before visiting)
DepthStillnessWarmth
This group of cliff-carved Buddhist images survives at the western foot of Mt. Iwasaki in Shibata, Miyagi, with many works dating to the late Kamakura period. At its center is a 2.4-meter seated Amida Nyorai known as the Tomizawa Daibutsu, bearing an inscription dated 1306. Nearby are a rock-cut chamber with Six Jizo figures, Kokuzo Bosatsu, a Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu popularly called the “Sleeping Kannon,” and Thirty-Three Kannon images from the Edo period. Long centuries of devotion are carved into the rock face, and the site is still affectionately cherished locally as “Daibutsu-san.”
Daishoji Temple
Buddhist Image Monju Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県東置賜郡高畠町亀岡4028-1
Visiting Status Temple normally open; principal image is hidden and normally not on view
NobilityStillnessDignity
Daishoji, an old temple of the Chizan school of Shingon Buddhism, is home to Kameoka Monju, counted among Japan’s Three Great Monju sites. The Monju Hall enshrines a hidden image of Monju Bosatsu said to have come from Mt. Wutai in China, drawing worshipers who pray for wisdom and success in learning. Beyond a stone-paved approach lined with old cedars, visitors can sense both the clarity associated with Monju and the quiet dignity cultivated through the temple’s long history.
Kaikoji Temple
Buddhist Image Chukai Shonin / Enmyokai Shonin Category Other
山形県酒田市日吉町2丁目7-12
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors / Closed every Tuesday and January 1–3
MysteryDepthTense Presence
Kaikoji is an old temple of the Chizan school of Shingon Buddhism known for its ascetic tradition connected with Mt. Yudono. Its Sokushinbutsu Hall enshrines two monks, Chukai Shonin and Enmyokai Shonin, who became sokushinbutsu after severe religious practice; it is said to be the only temple in Japan with two sokushinbutsu in one place. In the quiet hall, visitors can confront the depth of Shonai’s faith and the prayers of ascetics who offered themselves for the salvation of others.
Hojusan Risshakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
山形県山形市山寺4456-1
Visiting Status Normally open during Risshakuji opening hours; winter hours may change with weather
DignityPeacefulnessPurity
At the farthest reaches of Risshakuji, widely known as Yamadera, the Great Buddha Hall stands beside the Okunoin. Inside is a seated Amida Nyorai about 5 meters tall, entirely covered in gold, before which memorial rites with sotoba tablets are conducted every day. After climbing 1,015 stone steps, visitors encounter the great Amida as a fitting culmination of the long pilgrimage. In the clear mountain air, the statue conveys both Amida’s peace and the depth of accumulated prayer.
Ryutakuzan Zenpoji Temple
Buddhist Image Five Hundred Arhats / Shaka Triad Category Other
山形県鶴岡市下川字関根100-1
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors; confirm indoor viewing hours and fees before visiting
WarmthDepthStillness
The Hall of the Five Hundred Arhats stands along the approach to Zenpoji, a temple known for dragon-deity worship and prayers for safety at sea. Built in 1855 with donations from merchants who prospered through Kitamaebune shipping, the hall contains 531 arhat statues, each with a different expression, posture, and robe pattern. A Shaka Triad and the Ten Great Disciples are enshrined at the front, with the Four Heavenly Kings and other figures inside. Surrounded by these distinctively individual arhats, visitors can feel both human warmth and the depth of devotion passed down over generations.
Yudonosan Churenji Temple
Buddhist Image Tetsumonkai Shonin (Sokushinbutsu) Category Other
山形県鶴岡市大網字中台92-1
Visiting Status Normally open (10:00–14:00) / Irregular holidays; advance reservation recommended
MysteryDepthTense Presence
The Main Hall of Churenji, deeply connected with Mt. Yudono worship, enshrines Tetsumonkai Shonin, who became a sokushinbutsu after undergoing severe ascetic practice. The hall also contains the principal Sho Kannon Bosatsu, zodiac guardian images, and ceiling paintings by contemporary artists, and has long served as a place from which worshipers revere Mt. Gassan from afar. In the mountain settlement of Oami, visitors encounter the ascetic’s resolve to seek salvation for others and the quiet, taut depth of Yudono faith.
Karamatsuyama Gokokuji Temple
Buddhist Image Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県山形市大字釈迦堂7
Visiting Status Normally open; generally 8:00–17:00, sometimes closing at 16:00 from October onward
GentlenessPurityPeacefulness
Karamatsu Kannon Hall at Karamatsuyama Gokokuji is the fifth temple of the Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Projecting from a mountainside, it is the only hall of its kind in Yamagata Prefecture built in the kakezukuri cliff-supported style, recalling the stage of Kiyomizudera in Kyoto. Its principal image is Sho Kannon Bosatsu, traditionally attributed to Kobo Daishi. From the vermilion hall overlooking Yamagata City, visitors can feel Kannon’s gentleness and the quiet devotion preserved in the mountains.
Hagurosan Kotakuji Shozenin
Buddhist Image Thirty-Three Sho Kannon Bosatsu Statues Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県鶴岡市羽黒町手向字手向232
Visiting Status Seasonal viewing only / Mid-April to mid-November, 9:00–16:30 / Advance contact recommended; some dates closed
SolemnityMysteryDepth
The Golden Hall of Shozenin stands in Toge, the gateway settlement to Mt. Haguro, and is designated a Important Cultural Property. Its principal images are thirty-three statues of Sho Kannon Bosatsu—three seated and thirty standing figures. Around eighty other sacred images, including Dainichi Nyorai and Amida Nyorai, preserve the faith of the Three Mountains of Dewa from before the separation of Shinto and Buddhism; walking through the hall evokes a pilgrimage to Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan, and Mt. Yudono. The many statues create a solemn space where visitors can encounter the prayers and deep history of Haguro Shugendo.
Teigetsuzan Gatsuzoin
Buddhist Image Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県最上郡鮭川村大字庭月2829
Visiting Status Normally open; principal image is hidden and specially unveiled once every 12 years
GentlenessPeacefulnessPurity
Beside the clear-flowing Sakegawa River stands Niwatsuki Kannon Hall, the 33rd and final temple of the Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. It enshrines a hidden image of Sho Kannon Bosatsu traditionally attributed to Jikaku Daishi Ennin. The grounds also include a Main Hall where pilgrims completing the route leave their pilgrimage robes and staffs, and the site has long been revered as a place of fulfillment at the end of a journey of prayer. Surrounded by the river and quiet countryside, visitors can feel Kannon’s gentleness and the deep hopes entrusted here by generations of pilgrims.
Shukokuzan Kichijoin
Buddhist Image Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県山形市千手堂509
Visiting Status Normally open; principal image is hidden, specially unveiled every August 10; viewing also possible by advance application
GentlenessDignityPeacefulness
This Tendai temple is revered as the third temple of the Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Its Okunoin enshrines a standing Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu from the early Heian period, designated a Important Cultural Property. Carved from a single piece of wood and about 175 centimeters tall, the image has lost many arms and parts of its feet over the centuries yet retains a gentle and commanding presence. In a hall long filled with prayers for recovery from illness and peace of mind, visitors can encounter Kannon’s deep compassion and quiet dignity.
Kurotori Kannon
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県東根市大字東根甲1810
Visiting Status Normally open; confirm whether the principal image itself can be viewed
MysteryWarmthPurity
Kurotori Kannon Hall stands on the slope of Mt. Kurotori as the 19th temple of the Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Its principal image is an Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu traditionally attributed to Jikaku Daishi Ennin. The hall is especially known for the many mukasari ema depicting wedding scenes that cover its walls and ceiling, preserving prayers for good relationships and marriage. Views extend toward Mt. Gassan, Mt. Hayama, and the town of Higashine, combining Kannon’s compassion, an open mountain atmosphere, and a distinctive local devotional tradition.
Jionji Temple
Buddhist Image Yakushi Nyorai / Nikko Bosatsu / Gakko Bosatsu / Twelve Heavenly Generals Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
山形県寒河江市大字慈恩寺地籍31
Visiting Status Normally open / 9:00–16:00, open year-round
DignityPowerPeacefulness
Beside Jionji’s Main Hall, the Yakushi Hall enshrines a Kamakura-period Yakushi Nyorai together with Nikko Bosatsu, Gakko Bosatsu, and the Twelve Heavenly Generals. Yakushi is revered as a Buddha who heals illness, injury, and mental suffering, while the two attendant bodhisattvas are said to protect people day and night. Behind them, the Twelve Heavenly Generals are striking for their fierce gazes and dynamic poses, each bearing a zodiac figure above the head. This is one of Tohoku’s outstanding Buddhist-statue sites, where the compassionate Yakushi and powerful guardians can be viewed at close range.
Hasedosan Chokoin
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県山形市大字長谷堂23-3
Visiting Status Normally open; principal image is hidden and normally not on view; goshuin office currently closed
GentlenessStillnessPurity
Hasedo Kannon Hall stands atop the former Hasedo Castle site at an elevation of 229 meters and is the 12th temple of the Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Its principal image is a small golden Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu, about 5 centimeters tall and traditionally attributed to Gyoki, enshrined inside a wooden image about 1 meter high. Preserved through fires and warfare, the Kannon has long watched over the land; from the summit are views of the Zao, Gassan, Hayama, and Asahi mountain ranges. At the end of the quiet climb, visitors can sense Kannon’s compassion and the depth of prayers sustained here over time.
Shimizuyama Koryuji Temple
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県山形市大字平清水95
Visiting Status Normally open; pilgrimage site generally 8:00–17:00, sometimes closing at 16:00 from October onward; confirm direct viewing of the principal image
GentlenessStillnessPurity
Hirashimizu Kannon Hall stands at the foot of Mt. Chitose, a symbol of Yamagata City, as the sixth temple of the Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Its principal image is an Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu said to have been invited from Kiyomizudera in Kyoto. Tradition holds that Minamoto no Yoriyoshi prayed to Kiyomizu Kannon for victory in Oshu and, in gratitude after his wish was fulfilled, brought the Kannon to Hirashimizu. In this quiet settlement known for Hirashimizu pottery, visitors can encounter Kannon’s compassion and a devotion deeply rooted in the local community.
Kyoshuzan Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
山形県寒河江市柴橋落裳2494-1
Visiting Status Normally open; confirm direct viewing of the principal image
MysteryGentlenessStillness
Otosho Kannon Hall stands in Shibahashi, Sagae, near the Mogami River, as the 15th temple of the Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Its principal image is an Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu said to have once been the personal devotional image of Ono no Komachi. The name “Otosho” is linked to a legend in which a celestial maiden dropped her robe from purple clouds and the form of Kannon appeared upon it. The principal image is also said to have survived a fire unharmed, and the hall conveys Kannon’s compassion, mysterious connections, and a quiet faith passed down locally.