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Here’s a fun thing to do when you’re in Kyoto – some of the shrines or temples have statues in them, our outside, that you can touch or rub for good luck – finding them all is a good way to keep small children (and some adults) interested while visiting a few different shrines in one day – but, where are the stones and what do you need to do at them to ‘make merit’.
Here’s a full list of all eight of them – with locations, and a simple walking route to ‘catch them all.
Where in Kyoto are The Merit Statues?
They are all located around the Higashiyama area in east Kyoto. You can easily combine searching for them with a trip to popular destinations like Kiyomizu-dera, Ninenzaka, and Sannenzaka slopes and the Yasaka Pagoda.
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Except for the first stop, most of the statues are accessible even when the temples that house them aren’t open. If you are doing this in the early morning, I’d suggest reversing the route to finish at Ryozen Kannon when it opens at 8.40 am.
Or, if leaving it to the end of the day – if you want to do the whole route in one go, you’ll need to be at Ryozen Kannon before it closes at 4 pm.
The Eight Merit Statues of Kyoto
1. Temmangu – the Wishing Stone
You’ll find this stone inside the stunning Ryozen Kannon temple, one of my favorite temples in Kyoto – not least because it tends to be more peaceful and a great place to escape the sea of people wandering around the rest of Higashiyama.
You will have to pay the temple entrance fee to visit the wishing stone (the only one on the list where that’s the case) – and it’s also the only one of the statues that you can’t visit in the early morning or evening as the gates to the temple are locked.
To make a wish at the wishing stone you stand with your right hand touching it and then, keeping contact, walk clockwise around it three times – but what should you think about while you pace? Well, while some of the statutes on the merit trail grant specific wishes, Temmangu, it claims, will see all of your misfortunes disappear.
Don’t Miss Ryozen Kannon
Ryozen Kannon temple itself is dedicated to fallen soldiers and the statue that gives it its name is impressive. I’d suggest spending at least 20-30 minutes here before you start your quest looking at the interesting elements of the temple including the giant Buddha footsteps, inside the Kannon, and if you’re not scared of spiders the walk behind through the trees to see the top of it.
Ryozen Kannon is also one of the temples from which I collected one of my Kyoto goshuin.
It’s open seven days a week from 8.40 am to 4 pm – entrance is 300 yen for adults, child prices vary by age.
2. Hideyoshi and Nene Statues
From Ryozen Kannon, you’re heading toward the temple complex of Kodai-ji, and located outside, are the statues of this cute couple, Hideyoshi and Nene, and despite their cartoonish appearance, they are very important to Japanese history (very simplified version follows).
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a powerful samurai warlord, was effectively ruler of Japan during the 16th century – and Nene was his wife. Despite the man having a list of mistresses as long as your arm, Nene was incredibly loyal to Hideyoshi and in the eyes of society, she was his only wife.
However, when Hideyoshi died in his 60s, Nene, who was childless, was left in a precarious position, and so she threw her support behind the next most powerful samurai in Kansai, Tokoyama Ieyasu, hoping that he’d protect her – and in return, she suggested that her husband’s former followers also become loyal to Ieyasu which secured him the transition of power.
A small exchange of real estate also occurred as part of this deal, she gave him Osaka Castle to be his home – and in return, he built her Kodai-ji temple – outside which these statues sit – as a place to retire to and honor her late husband.
Touching the statues of Nene and Hideyoshi with your right hand is said to grant two types of wishes – you can wish for the same strong marriage that Nene and Hideyoshi had (ideally without the mistresses), or, because Nene lived for many years after Hideyoshi, and didn’t die until she was in her late 70s, which was impressive for that era, she is also a symbol of a long, happy life so people will also wish for that here.
You’ll see lots of references to Nene around Kyoto – and many of the merit statues are located along Nene no Michi, a road named after her.
The Right-Hand Rule
If you visit the statues, you’ll notice that on the instructions it says to touch them with your right hand – and, also, if you have to walk around something, you should do it clockwise.
This is important as in Buddhism, the right side of the body is seen as purer than the left and so you should always keep sacred objects to the right of you.
Also, if you do make wishes at the objects, you should do so while only thinking about your wish as other thoughts will distract from your goals – meditation is one of the practices in Buddhism that confers merit.
3. Mani Wheels
Almost next to Hideyoshi and Nani are this set of Mani Wheels.
Also known as prayer wheels these are common in Buddhist temples in areas like Nepal or Tibet but quite rare in Japan.
They contain written versions of prayers and turning the wheel is said to be equivalent to reciting the prayer yourself.
You earn merit by spinning the wheel once.
At Kodai-ji you can also pray for health and longevity by walking clockwise around the wheels, touching them with your right hand.
RELATED READ: At Zenkoji Temple in Nagano, there is a giant bookcase containing the sutra that you can also turn to confer merit.
4. Temmangu Ox
I did most of my wishing at the wishing stone, but, turns out this is the fella I should have paid most of my attention to as the job of the Temmangu ox is to heal the body.
If you have aches and pains anywhere in particular, you should rub the ox on the respective part of its body and it will take on your suffering for you.
Considering how much walking people do in Kyoto, I’m not surprised his hoofs look a little paler than the rest of him.
The ox is also located outside of Kodai-ji in the same area as the Mani wheels and Nene and Hideyoshi.
Visiting Kodai-ji
Because Kodai-ji is so important to Kyoto’s history, you might also want to spend some time here – but do note that the original temple built by Nene was destroyed by fire so, only a few original buildings are left. The temple does have beautiful gardens though.
Part of this is a small bamboo forest if the one at Arashiyama is too busy for you. Be careful you don’t miss the entrance to this though as they won’t let you enter it from the bottom – it’s one way only – and getting back up requires climbing a hill. I learned that the hard way.
Kodai-ji is also famous for its autumn leaves – and at night during autumn offers beautiful illuminations to show them off.
The main temple opens at 9-5 pm seven days a week. Admission at the time of writing is 600 yen for adults and 250 yen for children.
From this moment, you’ll notice the pictures get a bit darker—this is because, from this point, my friend Kendall takes over the statue quest, having recently traveled to Kyoto.
She was looking for fun things to do and so I suggested she go and find the statues that I hadn’t and she ended up doing this one evening, which was an inspired use of time.
She found them all except the wishing stone – making merit statue hunting one of the things you can do in Kyoto at night – remembering, of course, that if you do come out at night, you won’t be able to see inside the temples themselves.
5. Hotei
Hotei is one of the seven lucky gods of Japan and is the god of contentment and happiness – so you’re probably going to want to spend a bit of time with him, hoping some of his glee might rub off.
Hotei is located outside Gesshin-in Temple on Nene no Michi. While the inside of the temple is not generally open to the public, you can visit it as part of a privately booked tea ceremony or meditation session.
Don’t Miss These Other Kyoto Statues
If happy Hotei is your kind of statue, you have to make sure that Otagi Nenbutsu Ji in Arashiyama is on your list of Kyoto must-sees – here you’ll find over 1200 happy stone statues, each one slightly different sitting in a moss-covered garden with a pagoda. It’s my absolute favorite place in the whole of Kyoto.
6. The Three Jizo
The job of the three Jizo at Okabayashin is to spread a little enlightenment in the world. If you stroke them with your right hand it is said that you will become the type of person who sees, talks, and listens to the world around them – rather than existing in ignorance!
The jizo are located to the right of the gate of Korin-in Temple (also called Okabayashin on Google Maps). This can be a bit tricky to find but look up the cobbled pathway and you’ll see a round window, the jizo are underneath it.
7. Daikokouten
Daikokouten is another of the seven lucky gods. Specifically, he brings prosperity – and, you can either touch him with your right hand or stroke him with both hands while you make your wish.
You’ll find Daikokouten, tucked away close to the Kodaiji Sho Museum, near Entoku in Temple.
Visiting Entoku-in
If you are here during the day, the nearby Entoku-in is famous for its gravel zen garden and also the beautifully painted screens inside the building.
If you are interested in the spiritual side of Buddhism, Entoku-in also gives you the chance to take part in some meditative practices including guided prayer, drawing images of Buddha and, my personal favorite, mini zen garden combing. See more about these here.
If you are visiting during the day and want to go into both Entoku-in and Kodai-ji, it will cost less to buy the combination ticket for 900 yen than paying separately for both.
Need Extra Planning Help?
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8. Marishi Ten
It’s said that Marishi Ten is the place to come if you are competing in any contests of wit or skill and would like a little bit of spiritual help with your success. An Indian deity originally, Marishi was respected by Japan’s samurai who thought they would lead them to victory.
You’ll find Marishi ten at Kodaji Shunko, a temple built by the nephew of Nene in honor of his daughter.
The Best Route to See All the Statues
The good news for your poor tired feet is that the statues are all located in quite a small area within the Higashiyama district of Kyoto – and despite this being one of the busiest areas in Kyoto, Nene no Michi road and the temples that line it, see a lot less foot traffic than the shop-lined slopes of Nineizaka and Sanneizaka.
They are listed above in the order in which I suggest you see them – this sees you coming downhill and ending up close to the main part of Higashiyama.
So start at Ryozen Kannon, with the Wishing Stone, then, head round toward Kodaiji where you’ll find statues 2,3 and 4, all clustered together outside (the area is marked as Kodaji Tenmangu Shrine on Google Maps).
Note – if the route you take walks you past the French Cafe, take a quick look inside the building opposite which has an amazing painted ceiling.
Once you’ve seen the Nene and Hideyoshi, the oxen and the Mani wheels, you can go into Kodai-ji and explore for a little while, but, come out through the nearby gate (down the road called the Daidokoro forested slope) to reach Nene no Michi – from here, you turn right to go past Gesshin – in temple and Hotei, then make your way up to Okabayashiin to see the Jizo.
Retrace your steps and cross to the other side of Nene no Michi, then walk south, the way you just came – you’ll then find Entoku-in and Daikokouten – and lastly, visit Marishi- Ten at Kodaji Shunko-in. Don’t head to the temple proper to do this though, stay on Nene no Michi – the statue is located by a side entrance just before the crossroads – it’s marked as a ‘place of worship’ on Google Maps.
If that all sounds a bit complicated, we’ve made a map to it all which you can find using this link. You’ll also see maps like the one above close to the locations where the statues are in Kyoto.
So there you have it, the easiest route to see all eight of the Kyoto Buddhist statues that you touch for luck. I hope you have as much fun finding them as we did.
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
