Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Honnoji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Nio Guardians (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
佐賀県嬉野市塩田町馬場下甲662-1
Visiting Status Free viewing (9:00–17:00, open daily; accessible from the temple gate)
WarmthPowerDignity
Honnoji is a Jodo Buddhist temple established in 1586 in Shiotatsu, a former post town on the Nagasaki Road. A pair of stone Nio guardians, each about 187 cm tall and donated in 1749, stands beside its main gate, which was built in 1732. Carved from local Shioita stone, their rounded forms and approachable expressions distinguish them from more severe guardians. The pair is designated an Important Cultural Property by Ureshino City. Visitors can see them up close while exploring Shiotatsu's historic streets.
Jozaiji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Nio Guardians (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
佐賀県嬉野市塩田町大字馬場下甲1447
Visiting Status Viewable from the temple approach (no official viewing hours specified; check on-site access notices)
PowerDignityTense Presence
A pair of monumental stone Nio guardians stands halfway up the long approach to Jozaiji, on a hillside above historic Shiotatsu. Approximately 2.4 m tall, they are among the largest guardians in the area. They were carved from local Shiota stone in 1825 by six stonemasons, including Tsutsui Koemon. Their muscular upper bodies and severe expressions convey the force of guardians protecting the temple precinct. The pair is designated an Important Cultural Property by Ureshino City.
Warabino Five Hundred Arhats
Buddhist Image Stone Figures of the Sixteen Arhats and Other Arhats Category Other
佐賀県唐津市相知町蕨野
Visiting Status Open at all times (outdoor site, freely accessible, open year-round, no admission fee)
StillnessWarmthDepth
This group of stone arhat figures stands in the rural landscape of Warabino, in the Ochi area of Karatsu. According to tradition, in 1789 a local devotee named Denzaemon dreamed that Kobo Daishi instructed him to commission images of the Sixteen Arhats for the prosperity of the land and the well-being of its people. He entrusted the work to stonemason Hirakawa Yoemon. Further arhat images were subsequently dedicated, leaving numerous figures among the surrounding greenery. The open-air site can be visited freely and lies near Warabino's terraced rice fields.
Tsuru-no-Iwaya Stone Carvings
Buddhist Image Rock-carved Dainichi Nyorai, Jizo Bosatsu, Nio Guardians and Others Category Tathagata / Bodhisattva / Deva
佐賀県唐津市肥前町鶴牧322
Visiting Status Confirm in advance (tourism sources say year-round free viewing, but cave interior access hours require confirmation)
MysteryStillnessDepth
About 120 Buddhist images are carved into the natural cave walls at Tsuru-no-Iwaya in Hizen, Karatsu. They include Dainichi Nyorai, Jizo Bodhisattva and Nio guardians, together with figures associated with the Shikoku 88-site and Saigoku 33-site pilgrimages. Weathered figures crowd the cave walls, creating a distinctive sacred landscape. Neither the dates of the carvings nor the origins of worship here are firmly established. Tourism information describes the site as open year-round, but visitors should confirm the conditions for entry to the cave in advance.
Head Temple Kisshoji
Buddhist Image Great Amida Nyorai Statue Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
佐賀県三養基郡基山町大字園部1167
Visiting Status Open for worship (outdoor Great Buddha memorial cemetery; listed as open year-round; confirm visiting hours in advance)
PeacefulnessSolemnityWarmth
At the Mandala cemetery of Kisshoji in Kiyama, uniformly shaped gravestones are arranged around a large statue of Amida Nyorai. The pedestal of the Great Amida Buddha serves as a burial chamber, and the temple continues to perform memorial services there. Saga Prefecture's facility guide states that visitors using wheelchairs can also pay respects at this Great Buddha memorial cemetery. Alongside visiting the Buddha, the temple offers devotional experiences such as a dark pilgrimage passage beneath the main hall.
Jodoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Amida Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
佐賀県唐津市西寺町1365
Visiting Status Viewable in the Main Hall (temple opening hours listed as 9:00–17:00; advance confirmation recommended for ceremony days)
RefinementPeacefulnessStillness
Jodoji, a Jodo Buddhist temple in Nishideramachi, Karatsu, is said to have been established in 1568. Its principal image is a wooden standing Amida Nyorai, 69.5 cm tall and thought to date from the late Heian period. The statue is designated an Important Cultural Property by Karatsu City, and a temple information listing says it can normally be viewed inside the main hall. Built in 1958, the hall has an unusual dome-like roof said to have been modeled on the architecture of Tsukiji Hongwanji.
Daishoji Temple
Buddhist Image Fudo Myo-o and Two Attendant Boys Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
佐賀県武雄市北方町大字大崎6694
Visiting Status Temple grounds open 9:00–18:00; confirm in advance whether the Fudo and two attendants can be viewed inside the hall
PowerMysterySolemnity
Daishoji is a Shingon Buddhist temple on Mount Sugitake in Kitagata, Takeo, traditionally founded by the monk Gyoki in 709. It enshrines Fudo Myoo with two attendant boys. A legend tells that the warrior Chinzei Hachiro Tametomo prayed here before defeating a great serpent on Mount Kurokami. An annual fire-walking ritual dedicated to Fudo takes place in February. Situated at an elevation of approximately 350 m, the temple is also known for about 5,000 hydrangea plants flowering in early summer. Although grounds visiting hours are published, close viewing of the images requires advance confirmation.
Ganshoken Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Sixteen Arhats and Shaka Triad Category Other / Tathagata / Bodhisattva
佐賀県佐賀市木原1丁目12-10
Visiting Status Confirm in advance (enshrined outdoors on temple grounds; ask the temple about access and visiting times)
WarmthDepthStillness
The grounds of Ganshoken, a Soto Zen temple in Kihara, Saga, contain a group of 19 stone figures: the Sixteen Arhats and a Shaka triad. The seated arhats measure 50–80 cm high and have varied poses, while the central seated Shaka is 69 cm tall. It is flanked by Monju Bodhisattva on a lion and Fugen Bodhisattva on an elephant. The sculptures are thought to date from around the Horeki era (1751–1763) of the Edo period and are designated Important Cultural Properties by Saga City for their distinctive Hizen stone-carving craftsmanship. This group of varied figures stands outdoors, but visitors should confirm access conditions beforehand.
Seiganji Temple
Buddhist Image Stone Figures of the Five Hundred Arhats Category Other
佐賀県小城市小城町畑田3111-1
Visiting Status Viewable within the temple grounds (outdoors; check visiting hours on site)
WarmthStillnessDepth
Seiganji is an Obaku Zen temple that served as the family temple of successive lords of the Ogi branch of the Nabeshima clan. About 200 stone arhat figures survive along the path to the lords' graves. Each has a distinct expression or gesture, from smiling and meditating to looking skyward. Their exact dates and sculptors remain uncertain, although tradition attributes them to the family of the Togawa stonemason Hirakawa Tokubei in the mid-Edo period. The stone arhat figures are designated Important Cultural Properties by Ogi City.
Jofuku Zenji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
佐賀県小城市牛津町上砥川3696
Visiting Status Advance reservation required (apply to the temple before viewing)
PeacefulnessRefinementDepth
Jofuku Zenji is a Rinzai Zen temple of the Nanzenji branch on a hillside overlooking the Saga Plain. Its wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai, believed to date from the Heian period, measures 82.7 cm tall and was carved principally from a single piece of Japanese cypress. The right hand is raised in a gesture of reassurance and the left holds a medicine jar. The calm figure retains the strength of early Buddhist sculpture and is nationally designated an Important Cultural Property. It is now kept in a dedicated Buddha image storehouse and viewing requires an advance application. Stone images by Togawa stonemasons also survive in the grounds.
Hizen Buddha Relic Pagoda (Nipponzan Myohoji)
Buddhist Image Shaka Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
佐賀県小城市牛津町上砥川2256
Visiting Status Accessible year-round from the grounds (free access to grounds; no entry to the interior of the pagoda)
SolemnityPeacefulnessNobility
The white Buddha relic pagoda of Nipponzan Myohoji stands on a mountain above Ushizu. Golden images of Shaka Buddha on its four sides depict his birth, enlightenment, first sermon, and passing into nirvana. Although the pagoda interior is closed, visitors can remove their shoes, change into the provided footwear, and ascend the outer gallery to view the images at close range. Built as a monument to world peace, the pagoda also overlooks the Saga Plain.
Kiyomizu Kannon (Hochiin Temple)
Buddhist Image Kongo Rikishi (Nio Guardians) and Boat Kannon Stone Image Category Deva / Bodhisattva
佐賀県小城市小城町松尾清水2209-1
Visiting Status Accessible from the temple grounds and Nio Gate (outdoor viewing); confirm in advance to view images inside the main hall
MysterySolemnityStillness
Near Kiyomizu Falls, the Tendai Buddhist temple Hochiin, also known as Kiyomizu Kannon, is a Kannon pilgrimage site traditionally founded in 803. Visitors can view the open- and closed-mouthed Kongo Rikishi through the lattice of the Nio Gate, while a large rock in Kiyomizu River bears a stone carving known as Boat Kannon. After damage during warfare, worship of Kannon here was revived by Nabeshima Katsushige in the early Edo period, according to tradition. The temple remains an active place of prayer and offers calligraphy and waterfall ascetic practices by reservation. Contact the temple beforehand if you wish to view images inside the main hall.
Daikozenji Temple
Buddhist Image Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
佐賀県三養基郡基山町園部3628
Visiting Status Hidden image (unveiled once every 12 years in the Year of the Horse; last opening April 17–May 7, 2026; next exact dates not announced)
NobilitySolemnityMystery
The principal image of Daikozenji, a Tendai temple said to have been founded in 717, is a wooden Eleven-faced Kannon known locally as Komatsu Kannon and Kasanuge Kannon. The joined-wood figure stands 177 cm tall on a rocky base, holding a priest's staff in its right hand and a water vase in its left. Believed to date from around the Kamakura period, it is designated an Important Cultural Property by Saga Prefecture. Normally kept inside a shrine in the Main Hall, it is unveiled once every 12 years during the Year of the Horse. Its 2026 opening ran from April 17 to May 7.
Niiyama Shrine (Former Niiyama Gokokuji Nio Gate)
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Kongo Rikishi (Agyo and Ungyo) Category Tenbu (Deva)
佐賀県神埼市神埼町的1692-2
Visiting Status Accessible from the approach year-round (the images stand in the outdoor Nio Gate; note possible traffic restrictions during Kunenan openings)
PowerDignityTense Presence
The Nio Gate at the entrance to Niiyama Shrine's approach is believed to have originally served Niiyama Gokokuji, a former Tendai Buddhist temple. Two wooden Kongo Rikishi guardians, each over 3 m tall, stand within it: the open-mouthed Agyo on the right and the closed-mouthed Ungyo on the left when facing the gate. Kanzaki City materials attribute the figures to the Kamakura period and identify them as city-designated Important Cultural Properties. Regarded as among the oldest Nio images in Kyushu, their powerful forms can be viewed through the gate built in the Edo period.
Taikoiwa Fudo (Beyond Fudoji Temple)
Buddhist Image Rock-carved Taikoiwa Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
佐賀県武雄市山内町大字宮野黒髪山中腹
Visiting Status Freely accessible outdoors year-round, free of charge; approximately a 10-minute walk up a mountain path from Fudoji Temple. Check trail and weather conditions
PowerDignityMystery
On a large rock beyond Fudoji Temple on the slopes of Mount Kurokami, an enormous Fudo Myoo is carved in relief. Some visitor guides describe the figure as approximately 7 metres high, and a viewing platform stands in front of the rock face. Mount Kurokami has long been associated with mountain worship and Shugendo practices, with other stone Buddhist images scattered nearby. Visitors can approach this imposing figure closely, but must walk along a mountain path to reach it.
Kodenji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Shaka Triad (Shaka Nyorai, Monju and Fugen Bodhisattvas) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
佐賀県佐賀市本庄町大字本庄1112-1
Visiting Status Normally closed (Shaka Hall traditionally opens on April 19–20 each year; confirm dates and statue access with the temple beforehand)
SolemnityNobilityStillness
Founded in 1552 by Nabeshima Kiyofusa, Kodenji is a Soto Zen temple associated with the Nabeshima and Ryuzoji families. Within its Main Hall stands a shrine-like Shaka Hall housing a wooden triad of Shaka Nyorai flanked by Monju and Fugen Bodhisattvas. According to historical records, the images were carved in 1655 by the Kyoto Buddhist sculptor Soni (Hayashi Chouemonnojo Kunitsugu), using fragrant red sandalwood obtained in Nagasaki by Nabeshima Katsushige. The Shaka Hall is traditionally opened on April 19 and 20, but visitors should confirm both the dates and whether the triad itself can be viewed.
Sankoan Square (Persimmon Tree Jizo)
Buddhist Image Jizo Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
佐賀県西松浦郡有田町上幸平1-1339
Visiting Status Accessible for worship from the square (enshrined inside a small hall; confirm in advance whether close viewing inside is allowed)
GentlenessWarmthPeacefulness
A large wooden standing Jizo Bodhisattva is enshrined in a small hall at Sankoan Square in Arita's Uchiyama district. Made from Japanese cypress and measuring 261 cm in overall height, the image has an uncertain date of creation, though it is said to have been painted by a Saga Buddhist sculptor in 1825. During Arita's great fire of 1828, a resident named Tokusaburo reportedly carried the image to safety on his back. An inscription on its backboard records the event. Known as Kaki-no-Ki Jizo after a persimmon tree that once stood nearby, it is designated an Important Cultural Property (historical material) by Arita Town.
Entsuji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Jikokuten and Tamonten Category Tenbu (Deva)
佐賀県小城市小城町松尾3832
Visiting Status Confirm in advance (the temple can be visited, but contact it about access to the two images inside the Main Hall)
PowerDignityTense Presence
Entsuji, a Rinzai Zen temple of the Nanzenji branch traditionally founded in 650, received patronage from the Chiba clan in the Kamakura period. Its wooden standing images of Jikokuten and Tamonten are dated by inscriptions inside the sculptures to 1294 and attributed to the master sculptor Tanko. Although portions are missing and some surface finishes have flaked away, the figures retain their principal forms and convey the powerful style of Kamakura sculpture. Both are Saga Prefectural Important Cultural Properties. A glass-fronted display room along the temple approach also allows visitors to see the principal Yakushi Nyorai and other images. Access to the two guardians inside the Main Hall must be confirmed beforehand.
Entsuji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
佐賀県小城市小城町松尾3832
Visiting Status Viewable through glass in the display room along the approach (confirm opening hours in advance)
PeacefulnessRefinementStillness
Entsuji is a Rinzai Zen temple of the Nanzenji branch, traditionally founded in 650. A glass-fronted display room partway along its approach allows visitors to see a seated Yakushi Nyorai and other Buddhist images. The statue's date and sculptor could not be verified. This is a separate viewing location from the Kamakura-period Jikokuten and Tamonten figures housed in the Main Hall, offering an opportunity to encounter Buddhist images while walking through the grounds.
Hon'gyoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Standing Bishamonten Category Tenbu (Deva)
佐賀県佐賀市西田代1丁目4-6
Visiting Status Confirm in advance (grounds freely accessible year-round; ask the temple about viewing the image inside Bishamonten Hall. Annual Bishamonten and Star Festival on February 3)
PowerDignitySolemnity
Hon'gyoji is a Nichiren Buddhist temple founded in 1518 with the patronage of Ryuzoji Tan'ie and relocated to its present site in 1610. Bishamonten Hall enshrines a wooden standing Bishamonten designated an Important Cultural Property by Saga City. Made of joined zelkova wood, the figure measures approximately 1.1 m from head to feet, or 1.47 m from pedestal to the top of its spear. Believed to date from around the middle Muromachi period, it is revered as a stern guardian. The annual Bishamonten and Star Festival on February 3 welcomes the public, but viewing conditions for the image itself must be confirmed with the temple.