Ho-onji Temple, 500 Buddhist Disciples in Iwate - SAVOR JAPAN -Japanese Restaurant Guide-

Lacquered wooden statues which took four years to craft.

Area Map

The temple was moved to the present location from San-nohe of Aomori Prefecture in 1601. It is known for Five Hundred Disciples of the Buddha statues in the Rakan Hall. 499 out of 500 statues still remain to this day. Those statues were sculpted by Buddha image sculptors in Kyoto and later transported to Morioka in Iwate. Costumes and complexions are unique to each statue, and some of them have been nicknamed such as a Marc O’Polo statue and a Kublai Khan statue -- you will be sure to find statues which look like your friends or acquaintances. In Japan, there are about 50 sites where Five Hundred Disciples of the Buddha are placed, but it is quite a rare case where 499 wooden statues out of total 500 are remaining in good condition to this day.

Address

Ho-onji Temple
31-5, Nasukawacho, Morioka-shi, Iwate

Access from major landmarks

Morioka Station - Ho-onji Temple
From Morioka Station to Kitayama bus stop
Ten minutes (via bus)
From Kitayama bus stop to Ho-onji Temple
Approx. Five minutes by walk

Attractions near Ho-onji Temple, 500 Buddhist Disciples

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