Saikoji Temple (Shimotoshikazucho)
Main Image Wooden Seated Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Impression TagsRefinementSolemnityStillness
DescriptionThis wooden seated Yakushi Nyorai has been preserved at Saikoji Temple in Shimotoshikazucho. The image is 143.7 cm high, or 290.7 cm including its pedestal, and sits on a nine-tier lotus throne. Behind it is a double-ring halo with Dainichi Nyorai at the top center and eleven flying celestial figures arranged to either side. Said to be carved from kaya wood using the single-block split-and-rejoined technique, it is a valuable late-Heian example of the Jocho style in Ibaraki Prefecture and was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1911. During a fire in 1923, local residents carried the image to safety, although part of its halo was damaged; later conservation work, including repairs after the Great East Japan Earthquake, has preserved it. Saikoji is now without a resident priest, and the image is normally closed to the public, but it will be shown from 10:00 to 15:00 during Hitachiota City's Shuchu Bakuryo event on October 17 and 18, 2026.
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