Nanzō-in Temple

The Sasaguri 88 Temple Pilgrimage

Bradford Pomeroy Feb 20, 2015 - 1 min read

A massive and colorful statue of the great Buddhist deity, Fudō Myō-ō.

A statue of En no Gyōja and his two demon attendants. En no Gyōja is known as the founder of Shugendō, a uniquely syncretic and ancient tradition that incorporates various teachings from Shinto, Taoism, and esoteric Buddhism.

A massive array of individual Buddhist characters, each with incredibly unique detail.

This is Aizen Myō-ō, another deity pertaining to esoteric Buddhism. He symbolizes the annihilation of lust and elevating one to spiritual awakening.

Fudō Myō-ō is quite prevalent at this site. Here in particular he can be seen with his attendants, Kongara and Seitaka. Fudō Myō-ō has a history going back to ancient India. His Sanskrit name is Ācala.

A unique display of various Buddhist deities and figures including an extremely curious version of Fudō Myō-ō who is seen here with the head of a dragon.

A statue of Hotei, the deity of happiness and contentment.

Just a glimpse of a few of the hundreds of statues that adorn this site. Many are lit with candles and incense. These are situated just outside a cave you can enter and pass through.

This tunnel will take you between the two major parts of the temple complex.

A nice view of Sasaguri. Perhaps it will inspire you to complete its 88 temple pilgrimage!

Nanzō-in is a temple located in Sasaguri, a small town in the Kasuya District of Fukuoka Prefecture. It's unique not only because it houses the largest Nehanzo (reclining Buddha) in Japan, but it's a central part of Kyushu's tribute to the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. In Shikoku, the pilgrimage takes about 3 months on foot, whereas in Sasaguri, it takes only 3 days (or 1 by car). There are shops where you can purchase a stamp book and receive a special kanji (Japanese character) and seal for each temple you visit. Nanzō-in was originally on Mt. Koya (headquarters of Shingon Buddhism), but moved to Sasaguri in 1899.