FAMISMA
Temples, Shrines & Cultural Properties

National Treasure Buddhist Statues in Kyoto City

Washi-paper collage style illustration representing Kyoto's National Treasure Buddhist statues: in front, a half-seated Miroku Bosatsu with a finger raised to its cheek; behind, a long hall lined with rows of golden standing Thousand-Armed Kannon; to the side, an armored Heavenly King. A small parent and child are looking up at them.

Key points

  1. By ward, Ukyō has the most with 13, followed by Minami, home of Tō-ji, with 8

  2. Tō-ji's Kōdō holds 4 National Treasure items made up of 15 statues: items and statues are counted separately

  3. The 2 Asuka-period items are Kōryū-ji's Miroku statues; the 2 made in China are at Tō-ji and Seiryō-ji

  4. Some can be seen at any time, while others are hidden Buddhas or are on deposit at a museum

Items and statues

National Treasure sculptures are counted in ken (items), and several statues are sometimes grouped together as 1 item. The standing Thousand-Armed Kannon of Sanjūsangen-dō are 1,001 statues counted as 1 item, the standing Twenty-Eight Attendants are 28 statues as 1 item, and Kōryū-ji's standing Twelve Divine Generals are 12 statues as 1 item. In Tō-ji's Kōdō, 4 items comprising 15 statues are National Treasures: the Five Great Wisdom Kings (5 statues), the seated Five Great Bodhisattvas (4 statues), the seated Bonten and half-seated Taishakuten (2 statues), and the standing Four Heavenly Kings (4 statues). Statues of Shinto deities and portrait statues are also included under "sculpture," and Tō-ji's seated Hachiman in the guise of a monk and seated goddesses (3 statues as 1 item) and the seated Kōbō Daishi by Kōshō are also National Treasures.

Number of National Treasure sculptures in Kyoto City (by temple)

  • Tō-ji (Kyōōgokoku-ji)8 items
  • Kōryū-ji6 items
  • Myōhō-in (Sanjūsangen-dō)4 items
  • Jingo-ji2 items
  • Ninna-ji2 items
  • Daigo-ji2 items
  • Seiryō-ji2 items
The other 9 temples (Rokuharamitsu-ji, Hōshō-ji, Daihōon-ji, Hōkongō-in, Hōbodai-in Gantoku-ji, Hōkai-ji, Anshō-ji, Kurama-dera, and Sanzen-in) have 1 item each.

List (1): 15 items in Minami, Higashiyama, and Kamigyō wards

Besides the Kōdō's rittai mandara (three-dimensional mandala), Tō-ji's National Treasures are also in the Mieidō, the Treasure House, and the Chinju Hachimangū shrine. In Higashiyama Ward, all 4 items of Sanjūsangen-dō are together in the Hondō, and the principal image of Rokuharamitsu-ji, an Eleven-Headed Kannon, is a hidden Buddha unveiled only once every 12 years. The Six Kannon Bosatsu statues of Senbon Shakadō (including one standing Jizō Bosatsu) became a National Treasure in 2024 (Reiwa 6) and are the newest item in the city.

National Treasure sculptures in Kyoto City (1): 15 items in Minami, Higashiyama, and Kamigyō Wards

Temple (ward)Designated name (number of statues)PeriodViewing
Tō-ji (Kyōōgokoku-ji), Minami WardWooden statues of the Five Great Wisdom Kings (enshrined in the Kōdō), 5 statuesHeianAlways on view in the Kōdō (fee charged)
Tō-jiWooden seated statues of the Five Great Bodhisattvas (enshrined in the Kōdō), 4 statuesHeianAlways on view in the Kōdō (fee charged)
Tō-jiWooden seated Bonten and half-seated Taishakuten (enshrined in the Kōdō), 2 statuesHeianAlways on view in the Kōdō (fee charged)
Tō-jiWooden standing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings (enshrined in the Kōdō), 4 statuesHeianAlways on view in the Kōdō (fee charged)
Tō-jiWooden standing Tobatsu Bishamonten, 1 statueTangDuring the spring and autumn openings of the Treasure House
Tō-jiWooden seated Kōbō Daishi (by Kōshō, enshrined in the Mieidō), 1 statueKamakuraUnveiled in the Mieidō during the Shōjinku service every morning from 6:00 and on the 21st of every month
Tō-jiWooden seated Fudō Myōō (enshrined in the Mieidō), 1 statueHeianClosed to the public (hidden Buddha)
Tō-jiWooden seated Hachiman in the guise of a monk and seated goddesses, 3 statuesHeianEnshrined in the Chinju Hachimangū. Check with the temple about viewing
Myōhō-in (Sanjūsangen-dō), Higashiyama WardWooden seated Thousand-Armed Kannon (by Tankei), 1 statueKamakuraAlways on view in the Hondō (fee charged)
Myōhō-in (Sanjūsangen-dō)Wooden standing Thousand-Armed Kannon, 1,001 statuesHeian to KamakuraAlways on view in the Hondō (fee charged)
Myōhō-in (Sanjūsangen-dō)Wooden standing statues of the Twenty-Eight Attendants, 28 statuesKamakuraAlways on view in the Hondō (fee charged)
Myōhō-in (Sanjūsangen-dō)Wooden statues of the Wind God and Thunder God, 2 statuesKamakuraAlways on view in the Hondō (fee charged)
Rokuharamitsu-ji, Higashiyama WardWooden standing Eleven-Headed Kannon (enshrined in the Hondō), 1 statueHeianHidden Buddha. Unveiled in the Year of the Dragon (once every 12 years)
Hōshō-ji, Higashiyama WardWooden standing Thousand-Armed Kannon, 1 statueHeianEnshrined in the Hondō. Check with the temple about viewing
Daihōon-ji (Senbon Shakadō), Kamigyō WardWooden statues of the Six Kannon Bosatsu and a wooden standing Jizō Bosatsu, 7 statues (6 Kannon, 1 Jizō)KamakuraAlways on display in the Reihōden treasure house (fee charged)

List (2): 14 items in Ukyō and Nishikyō wards

Ukyō Ward accounts for 13 of the 14 items, and Kōryū-ji's 6 include the Hōkan Miroku (Crowned Miroku), called "National Treasure No. 1." The standing Shaka Nyorai of Seiryō-ji is a statue Chōnen brought back from China, and the objects placed inside the statue are also National Treasures.

National Treasure sculptures in Kyoto City (2): 14 items in Ukyō and Nishikyō Wards

Temple (ward)Designated name (number of statues)PeriodViewing
Kōryū-ji, Ukyō WardWooden Miroku Bosatsu in half-lotus contemplation (Hōkan Miroku), 1 statueAsukaAlways on view in the Reihōden treasure house
Kōryū-jiWooden Miroku Bosatsu in half-lotus contemplation (Hōkei Miroku, or Naki Miroku), 1 statueAsukaIn the Reihōden and elsewhere. Check with the temple about viewing of each statue
Kōryū-jiWooden seated Amida Nyorai (enshrined in the Kōdō), 1 statueHeianIn the Reihōden and elsewhere. Check with the temple about viewing of each statue
Kōryū-jiWooden standing Fukūkenjaku Kannon, 1 statueHeianIn the Reihōden and elsewhere. Check with the temple about viewing of each statue
Kōryū-jiWooden standing Thousand-Armed Kannon, 1 statueHeianIn the Reihōden and elsewhere. Check with the temple about viewing of each statue
Kōryū-jiWooden standing statues of the Twelve Divine Generals, 12 statuesHeianIn the Reihōden and elsewhere. Check with the temple about viewing of each statue
Jingo-ji, Ukyō WardWooden standing Yakushi Nyorai (enshrined in the Hondō), 1 statueHeianEnshrined in the Kondō. Check with the temple about viewing
Jingo-jiWooden seated statues of the Five Great Kokūzō Bosatsu (enshrined in the Tahōtō), 5 statuesHeianDuring the spring and autumn unveilings at the Tahōtō (in autumn, the three-day weekend in October)
Ninna-ji, Ukyō WardWooden Amida Nyorai with two attendants (former principal image of the Kondō), 3 statuesHeianDuring the spring and autumn treasure exhibitions at the Reihōkan
Ninna-jiWooden seated Yakushi Nyorai (by Ensei and Chōen, former principal image of the Kitain), 1 statueHeianEnshrined in the Reimeiden. Check with the temple about viewing
Seiryō-ji, Ukyō WardWooden standing Shaka Nyorai (enshrined in the Hondō), 1 statue, with objects placed inside the statueNorthern SongIn the Hondō. Shown on the 8th of every month and in April, May, October, and November
Seiryō-jiWooden seated Amida Nyorai with two attendants (former principal image of Seika-ji), 3 statuesHeianDuring the Reihōkan openings in April, May, October, and November
Hōkongō-in, Ukyō WardWooden seated Amida Nyorai (by Ingaku), 1 statueHeianEnshrined in the Hondō. Check with the temple for viewing days
Hōbodai-in Gantoku-ji, Nishikyō WardWooden bodhisattva in half-lotus position (said to be Nyoirin Kannon), 1 statueHeianPrincipal image. Check with the temple about viewing

List (3): 6 items in Fushimi, Yamashina, and Sakyō wards

The seated Five Wisdom Buddhas of Anshō-ji in Yamashina Ward became a National Treasure in 2019 (Reiwa 1).

National Treasure sculptures in Kyoto City (3): 6 items in Fushimi, Yamashina, and Sakyō Wards

Temple (ward)Designated name (number of statues)PeriodViewing
Daigo-ji, Fushimi WardWooden Yakushi Nyorai with two attendants (principal image of the Kami-Daigo Yakushidō), 3 statuesHeianIn the Heisei-kan of the Reihōkan. Shown during the spring and autumn special exhibitions
Daigo-jiWooden standing Kokūzō Bosatsu, 1 statueHeianCheck with the temple
Hōkai-ji, Fushimi WardWooden seated Amida Nyorai (enshrined in the Amidadō), 1 statueHeianAlways on view in the Amidadō (fee charged)
Anshō-ji, Yamashina WardWooden seated statues of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, 5 statuesHeianOn deposit at the Kyoto National Museum. Display depends on the period
Kurama-dera, Sakyō WardWooden standing Bishamonten, Kichijōten, and Zennishi Dōji, 3 statuesHeianAlways on view on opening days at the Reihōden (Kuramayama Museum) (fee charged)
Sanzen-in, Sakyō WardWooden seated Amida Nyorai with two attendants (enshrined in the Amidadō of the Ōjō Gokuraku-in), 3 statuesHeianAlways on view in the Ōjō Gokuraku-in (fee charged)

Breakdown by period

Dividing the 35 items designated through October 2026 by period, the Heian period accounts for most, with 25 items, followed by the Kamakura period with 5, the Heian to Kamakura period with 1, and the Asuka period with 2. The 2 Asuka-period items are Kōryū-ji's two Miroku Bosatsu in half-lotus contemplation, the oldest National Treasure sculptures in the city. The remaining 2 items were made in China: Tō-ji's standing Tobatsu Bishamonten in the Tang dynasty and Seiryō-ji's standing Shaka Nyorai in the Northern Song.

Always on view, special openings, and deposits

  • Sanjūsangen-dō (Higashiyama Ward, about a 7-minute walk from Keihan Shichijō Station): 600 yen for adults, 400 yen for junior high and high school students, and 300 yen for elementary school students (as of October 2026).
  • Tō-ji (Minami Ward): in the regular season, the Kondō and Kōdō cost 800 yen for adults, 400 yen for high school students, and 300 yen for junior high school students and younger (while the first floor of the five-story pagoda is open, a combined ticket with the pagoda costs 1,200 yen for adults, 700 yen for high school students, and 500 yen for junior high school students and younger). The Treasure House opens in spring (March 20–May 25) and autumn (September 20–November 25).
  • Hōkai-ji (Hino, Fushimi Ward): viewing inside the Amidadō is 500 yen for adults, 400 yen for high school students, and 200 yen for junior high and elementary school students.
  • Sanzen-in (Ōhara, Sakyō Ward): 700 yen for adults, 400 yen for junior high and high school students, and 150 yen for elementary school students and younger.
  • Kurama-dera (Kurama, Sakyō Ward): admission to the Reihōden is 200 yen (plus a separate 500 yen aizanhi mountain-conservation fee). Closed on Tuesdays and in winter (December 12 to the end of February).
  • Kōryū-ji's Reihōden (Uzumasa, Ukyō Ward) is open 9:00–17:00 (until 16:30 from December to February) with no closing days, and the Reihōden of Senbon Shakadō is a permanent display with a fee. Check the fees with each temple.
  • Special openings and deposits: Ninna-ji's Reihōkan autumn 2026 treasure exhibition (October 3–November 29) costs 500 yen for adults and is free for high school students and younger. The seated Five Wisdom Buddhas of Anshō-ji are sometimes shown in the Kyoto National Museum's regular exhibition, but from October 6 to November 29, 2026, the regular exhibition is suspended because of a special exhibition.

Mini quiz for this entry

  1. About how many National Treasure statues of the Thousand-Armed Kannon stand in Sanjūsangendō?

  2. Tō-ji's National Treasure standing statue of Tobatsu Bishamonten is a statue from which country and period?

  3. The seated Five Wisdom Buddhas (5 statues), which became a National Treasure in 2019 (Reiwa 1) and are now on deposit at the Kyoto National Museum, belong to which temple?

Sources and verification

Content checked: October 22, 2026

Updated: October 22, 2026

References are in Japanese.

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  15. 東寺「境内のご案内（鎮守八幡宮ほか）」
  16. 三十三間堂「拝観案内」
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