There are countless stone Buddha statues in the precincts of Kinsho-ji Temple

Kinsho-ji Temple with stone Buddha statues

From Seibu Chichibu Station, I headed north along Saitama Prefectural Road No. 11, Kumagaya-Ogawa-Chichibu Line to reach a Buddhist temple called Kinsho-ji Temple. This is a temple of the Soto sect of Buddhism, also known as the Temple of Stone Buddhas, with stone Buddhas placed here and there in the precincts. However, when I came to the temple, I was intrigued by the countless stone Buddhas, but to my surprise, before I could see the stone Buddhas, I saw a magnificent gate and large sandals.

I was almost distracted by the gate and sandals, but I pulled myself together and headed for the stone Buddha statues. It was after passing through the gate that the wonderland of stone Buddhas began to unfold. As soon as you pass through the gate, both sides of the stairs are already filled with stone Buddha statues, and they continue to the main hall. As I walked along the path, I felt like I was walking through a crowd of stone Buddhas.

There are about 1,300 stone Buddhas enshrined in the precincts. The statues were originally founded in 1789 by the head priest of the temple to pray for the prosperity of the temple and the victims of famine and natural disasters. It is said that there used to be 3,800 more stone Buddha statues. The temple grounds must have been a spectacular sight.

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