Soenji Temple
Main Image Wooden Five Hundred Rakan Statues Category Other
Impression TagsDepthWarmthStillness
DescriptionThe Wooden Five Hundred Rakan Statues line three walls of the Main Hall at Soenji Temple and are designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Hokkaido. The 500 figures were not made at one time; they form an ensemble donated over different periods by different makers. The oldest date to around the end of the Muromachi period, while later examples include works from the mid-Edo period (Tenmei era) and statues donated in the early Meiji period. Soenji was founded in Matsumae in 1630 as a family temple of the Matsumae lords and moved to Otaru in 1909, bringing the rakan statues together with its principal Shaka Nyorai image. Their varied expressions make the group an important record of Hokkaido Buddhist culture and Edo-period Buddhist sculpture. In 2026, viewing begins in May because of snow and is available on the 1st and 15th of each month through October.
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