Buddhist Statues at Moto-Hakone

Carved into natural rock in a bleak Hakone landscape

Cathy Cawood Jul 20, 2018 - 1 min read

Tomb of Tada Mitsunaka who was a warlord in his area

Buddhist statues carved into a large rock

Rock carved with statues at the far end of the pond

Emerging from the tunnel under the highway

Shrine containing the Rokudo Jizo Bosatsu

The Rokudo Jizo Bosatsu watches over travelers in the 6 zones of the Buddhist after-world

View of Shojin Pond through a museum window

One of the photos in the museum showing Meiji Era tourism in the area

At certain times in history travel through the landscape of Hakone was not for the faint of heart. The bleak, ashy landscape scattered with volcanic rock and steaming vents looked like hell to travelers in the area. From the Kamakura Era, Moto-Hakone became a place of Jizo statues, where travelers could pray for protection and strength on their journey. Some of the statues were carved into natural rocks.

There is a small museum with information about the area and the statues. A 20 minute trail leads from the museum along the shore of the pond. It passes under the highway and continues on the other side. There are a number of points of interest along the way, including a shrine of Rokudo Jizo Bosatsu, the Buddha who controls the six worlds to come after death.

You can reach this place either by bus from Hakone, or by car. There is a free car park in front of the museum.

Take the Hakone-Tozan bus or the Izu-Hakone Bus bound for Hakone-machi from either Odawara Station or Hakone-Yumoto Station. Get off at Soga-kyodai-no Haka Stop or Rokudo-Jizo Stop.

Cathy Cawood @cathy.cawood

I came to Japan in 2003 to teach English. I lived in Shiga prefecture for 1 year, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Kyoto for 9 years, then moved to Machida, Tokyo in 2014 after meeting my Japanese partner. I love to take photos, and my Japan in Pictures Facebook page ha...