20 Temples in Okayama worth your time

A historic 8th-century temple in Okayama featuring a 17th-century Kannon hall and a rare wooden Fudo Myoo statue.

What it is

• A Koyasan Shingon temple founded by the monk Gyoki in 739.
• The site enshrines a Sho-Kanzeon Bosatsu statue as its primary object of worship.
• The temple grounds span approximately 1,500 tsubo and offer free admission to all visitors.

What to see

• The current Kannon-do hall which dates back to its construction in 1659.
• A wooden Fudo Myoo statue designated as a prefectural cultural property.
• Traditional stone walls and white walls that surround the temple premises.
• A wooden statue of Fudo Myoo displayed to the public once every twelve years.

When to go

• The Obon Mando festival held annually on August 13.

Getting there

• A fifteen-minute walk from the Sawaoka bus stop.
• Free parking is available on-site for up to twenty cars.

Official site

joufukuji.net

Read more about Jōfuku-ji Temple

A National Historic Site featuring the ruins of an ancient Nara-period nunnery and a seven-story stone pagoda in Okayama.

What it is

• An ancient temple site in Akaiwa designated as a National Historic Site of Japan.
• Founded during the Nara period by order of Emperor Shomu.
• The grounds follow the Todai-ji style temple layout near the ancient Sanyo Road.
• The temple functions were completely lost by the early 17th century.

What to see

• A seven-story stone pagoda standing at the former pagoda site.
• The Kokubun-niji nunnery site located 300 meters south of the main temple.
• Kokubunji Hachiman Shrine situated on the western edge of the site.
• A stone pagoda designated as a tangible cultural property of Akaiwa.

Getting there

• The site is a 10-minute walk from the Hozaki-shimo bus stop.

Read more about Bizen Kokubun-niji

Kannonji is a Nichiren-shu temple offering panoramic views of the Seto Inland Sea.

What it is

• A Nichiren-shu temple in Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture.
• Its mountain name is Koshosan.
• It enshrines Koshotenno and Saijo Inari.

What to see

• The main hall at the foot of Tenguyama.
• A 'Torii in the Sky' on the mountaintop.
• A 'Rock that seems to fall but doesn't' on the mountaintop.
• An observation deck on Tenguyama.
• Views of Uno Port, Shodoshima, and Naoshima.

When to go

• The 'Torii in the Sky' was selected as a New 100 View in 2022.

Getting there

• 15-minute walk from Uno Station (JR West Uno Line).
• 5-minute taxi ride from Uno Station (JR West Uno Line).
• 10-minute walk from Ryobi Eigyosho bus stop.

Address

岡山県玉野市築港三丁目14番20号 Map

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A historic Tendai temple and National Historic Site featuring ancient ruins and a nearby burial mound in Tsuyama.

What it is

• A temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai.
• Founded by order of Emperor Shomu during the Nara period.
• The current structures were rebuilt by the Tsuyama clan in 1623.
• The original temple location is designated as a National Historic Site.

What to see

• Excavated roof tiles that resemble those found at the Heijokyu Palace.
• The original temple site located east of the current buildings.
• The former nunnery site situated 450 meters west of the temple.
• A large circular burial mound called Iizuka Kofun located nearby.

Getting there

• The site is a 25-minute walk from Higashi-Tsuyama Station.

Read more about Mimasaka Kokubun-niji

Kosen-ji is a historic Shingon temple with impressive architecture and intricate carvings.

What it is

• A temple of the Shingon-shu Omuro school.
• Its formal name is Washu-zan Kosen-ji.
• Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in November 2017.
• The 31st sacred site of the Kojima 88 Pilgrimage.

What to see

• Main hall built by Shiwaku carpenters.
• Main hall features carvings of dragons, animals, and plants.
• Main hall has a coffered ceiling with painted flowers.
• Yakuimon style gate built by Tachibana Kangoro Yoshikatsu.

Getting there

• 40 minutes walk from JR Sanyo Line Kojima Station.

Address

岡山県倉敷市下津井田之浦2-3-22 Map

Read more about Kōsen-ji Temple

Chōfuku-ji Temple, home to Okayama's oldest pagoda, offers a glimpse into ancient Buddhist art.

What it is

• A temple of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism.
• Dedicated to an Eleven-faced Kannon.
• Moved to its current location in 1928.

What to see

• Three-storied pagoda, a National Important Cultural Property.
• Pagoda is Okayama Prefecture's oldest wooden building.
• Wooden Eleven-faced Kannon statue, an Important Cultural Property.
• Colored silk Fudo Myoo image, an Important Cultural Property.
• Two colored silk Ryokai Mandalas, Important Cultural Properties.
• Twelve colored silk Deva images, Important Cultural Properties.

Address

〒701-2602　岡山県美作市真神414 Map

Official site

www.okayama-kanko.jp

Read more about Chōfuku-ji Temple

Hongenji Temple is a historic Rinzai Zen temple with important cultural properties.

What it is

• Rinzai sect Myoshinji school temple.
• Mountain name is Tokaizan.
• Principal image is Shaka Nyorai.
• Established as the family temple of the Mori clan.

What to see

• Main hall, kuri, and chumon are Important Cultural Properties.
• Mori family mausoleum and front gate are Important Cultural Properties.
• Mausoleum built in 1639.
• 28 memorial tablets, including Mori Tadamasa, are enshrined.
• Seven Mori family graves are Important Cultural Properties.
• Wooden statue of Mori Tadamasa made in 1631.

Address

岡山県津山市小田中 Map

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Explore Sekido Haiji, an ancient temple ruin with significant historical foundations from the 7th century.

What it is

• Ancient temple ruin in Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture.
• Established around the latter half of the 7th century.
• Oldest full-scale temple in Kasaoka City.
• Presumed abandoned around the 12th century.

What to see

• Temple area measures 130 meters east-west and north-south.
• Main hall, pagoda, and lecture hall foundations are visible.
• Main hall foundation is 17.3 by 16.55 meters.
• Pagoda foundation is approximately 12 meters on each side.
• Pagoda site is a designated historical site.

Read more about Sekido Haiji

Muryoju-in Temple, a historic Buddhist site, offers a glimpse into ancient Japanese religious architecture.

What it is

• A temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect.
• Founded in 725 by O-rin Osho.
• The 6th temple of the Bizen Eight Yakushi Pilgrimage.
• Merged with Itoku-in in 1916.

What to see

• The principal image is Yakushi Rurikō Nyorai.
• Main hall rebuilt in 1768, an important cultural property.
• Namubutsu Taishi standing statue is a designated cultural property.
• Saifoji Temple is a sub-temple within the grounds.

When to go

• Temple performs a ritual for Saidaiji Eyo.

Address

岡山県岡山市東区広谷135 Map

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Kōbō-ji Temple is an ancient Shingon Buddhist temple with important cultural properties.

What it is

• Kōbō-ji Temple is a Koyasan Shingon-shu temple.
• It was established in 662 by Emperor Tenji's imperial order.
• Kukai built a hall and enshrined Senju Kannon in 807.
• Ashikaga Takauji prayed for victory here in 1350.

What to see

• Henmyoin and Tojuin are the two existing sub-temples.
• Henmyoin is the 15th temple of the Sanyo Hana-no-tera 24 Temples.
• Ashikaga Takauji Gokyosho is a cultural property.
• Jogyodo, Mieido, Ikkyokyozo, and Chinjusha survived a 1967 fire.

Address

岡山県瀬戸内市牛窓町千手239 Map

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Yakouji Temple offers Edo-period art and architecture, with a history tied to Kukai.

What it is

• A Shingon Omuro school temple.
• Main deity is Yakushi Nyorai.
• Kukai made it a Shingon sect temple.
• Built on the site of Gotan Haiji Temple.

What to see

• Temple gate built in the early Edo period.
• Guest hall from the late Edo period.
• Fusuma paintings by Kyoto Kano Shijo school artists.
• Small gilt bronze Buddha from 1172.

Getting there

• 20-minute walk from JR Kishin Line Kuse Station.
• 7-minute drive from Yonago Expressway Kuse IC.

Address

岡山県真庭市台金屋193 Map

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A unique Buddhist temple in Okayama, blending Shinto traditions, worth visiting for its distinct architecture and history.

What it is

• A Nichiren Buddhist temple in Okayama City.
• Known for Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, rare for an Inari.
• Main deity is Dakiniten, called Saijōkyō Ōbosatsu.
• Founded as Saijō Inari-san Myōkyō-ji.

What to see

• Main deity image: sickle, rice bundles, white fox.
• Reio-den Honden (old main hall) built in 1741.
• Current main hall (Reikō-den) built in 1979.
• 33 structures are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
• A large red torii gate built in 1972.

Address

岡山県岡山市北区高松稲荷712 Map

Read more about Saijō Inari

A 17th-century Jodo Shinshu temple in Tsuyama City housing Amida Nyorai, founded under the permission of Lord Mori Tadamasa.

What it is

• A Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha temple founded in 1614 by the monk Risei.
• The temple is dedicated to the main object of worship, Amida Nyorai.
• Established with official permission from the local lord Mori Tadamasa.
• Originally a Shingon sect site featuring a hall dedicated to Kobo Daishi.

What to see

• The main temple buildings located on the grounds of Seichōzan mountain.
• Noyama Park which is situated in the area surrounding the temple site.

Read more about Daihō-ji Temple

Shinkō-ji Temple: an ancient temple with important cultural properties, founded in 739.

What it is

• Kōyasan Shingon sect temple, mountain name Otakisan.
• Founded in 739 by Gyōki.
• Principal image is Amitābha Tathāgata.
• Added to 48 temples of Bizen by Hōon Daishi.

What to see

• Main hall is a National Important Cultural Property.
• Three-storied pagoda is a National Important Cultural Property.
• Niōmon gate is a Bizen City cultural property.
• Kezō-in main gate is a Bizen City cultural property.
• Two sub-temples remain: Jishō-in and Kezō-in.

Address

岡山県備前市西片上1513 Map

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Yakushi-in Temple is a historic temple with a beautiful garden and important cultural properties.

What it is

• A temple in Kaminatanicho, Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture.
• Formal name is Rurisan Tairyuji Yakushi-in.
• Founded in 968 in Haramura.
• Moved to its current location in 1600.

What to see

• Stone walls completed in 1624.
• Garden built in the early Edo period.
• Main hall is an Okayama Prefecture Important Cultural Property.
• Nio gate is a Takahashi City Important Cultural Property.
• Enmei Jizo Bosatsu is a Takahashi City Important Cultural Property.

Address

岡山県高梁市上谷町4100 Map

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Raikyū-ji Temple offers a historic Zen garden by Kobori Enshū, a must-see for garden enthusiasts.

What it is

• Rinzai sect temple, reestablished in 1339.
• Founding priest was Jikushitsu Genkō Zenji.
• Main image is Shō Kannon Bosatsu.
• 5th sacred site of Bitchū Saigoku.

What to see

• Garden is an early work by Kobori Enshū.
• Garden is a karesansui Hōrai garden.
• Garden designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty.
• Stone lantern is a city-designated cultural property.
• Tomb of Raikyū is located here.
• Tombs of three Mimura lords are housed here.

Address

岡山県高梁市頼久寺町18番地 Map

Official site

raikyuji.com

Read more about Raikyū-ji Temple

Anjū-in Temple: a historic Shingon Buddhist temple with important cultural properties.

What it is

• A Shingon Buddhist temple in Okayama.
• Founded by Hōon Daishi during the Tenpyō-shōhō era.
• Main image is a Senju Sen-gen Kanzeon Bosatsu.
• The 12th temple of the Setouchi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

What to see

• The Niōmon gate, built in 1456.
• Oldest tower gate in Okayama Prefecture.
• The Tahōtō pagoda from the Edo period.
• The main hall, rebuilt in 1601.
• Grave of author Uchida Hyakken.
• Several Important Cultural Properties.

Address

岡山県岡山市中区国富3-1-29 Map

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Shōraku-ji Temple is a historic pilgrimage stop with important cultural properties.

What it is

• A temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect.
• Founded by Priest Hōon between 749 and 756.
• The 3rd stop of the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.
• The 4th stop of the 108 Kannon Pilgrimage.

What to see

• The main image is an Eleven-faced Kannon Bodhisattva.
• The temple gate, built in 1817, is a Prefectural Important Cultural Property.
• The main hall was rebuilt in 1711.
• Shiza Koshiki in 4 volumes is a National Important Cultural Property.

Address

岡山県備前市蕃山1305 Map

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Shōzen-ji Temple is a historic Rinzai Buddhist temple with important cultural properties.

What it is

• A Rinzai sect Myoshin-ji school temple.
• Founded in 1313.
• Kojima Takanori was the founder.
• Daikō Kokushi was the founding priest.

What to see

• Main hall is a city cultural property.
• Main hall includes attached gargoyles.
• Kannon-do hall is a city tangible cultural property.
• Kannon-do hall includes four attached ridge tags.

When to go

• Hanamatsuri is held in April.
• Akiba Festival is held in July.

Address

岡山県岡山市南区郡972 Map

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Myōgan-ji Temple, founded in 1617, offers a glimpse into local history and art.

What it is

• A Jōdo Shinshū Honganji-ha Buddhist temple.
• Commonly known as Tsuruyama Gobō.
• Founded in 1617 by Myōkō-ni in Tsuyama.
• Served as a touchō in Mimasaka Province.

What to see

• Myōkō-ni's portrait, a prefectural cultural property.
• Mori Tadamasa's letter, a city cultural property.
• Sliding door paintings, a city cultural property.
• The kuri and kyaku-den, city cultural properties.
• The bell tower, founded in 1617.

Address

岡山県津山市戸川町68 Map

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