Suwazan Shogon-ji Temple
Main Image Wooden Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon (Principal Image) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Impression TagsDignitySolemnityDepth
DescriptionShogon-ji's principal image is a monumental wooden standing Eleven-Headed Kannon, 3.25 meters high and designated a national Important Cultural Property. Primarily carved from a single block of zelkova wood, it preserves early-Heian features in its solemn face and distinctive wave-pattern drapery, and is dated to around the late 9th or early 10th century. The image was originally the principal Buddha of Kongobo-ji, the former Buddhist temple associated with Katori Jingu, and was moved to Shogon-ji after the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in the early Meiji period. A repair plaque inside records restoration in 1700 under the patronage of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. It is now enshrined in Shogon-ji's main hall within walking distance of Sawara Station, and the temple's official site welcomes visitors to pray before the principal image. The opportunity to worship a Heian-period statue over three meters tall on site makes this one of Chiba's most compelling Buddhist images.
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