Hoonji Temple
報恩寺
One of the Nanbu Domain’s family temples. Its Hall of Five Hundred Arhats houses about five hundred wooden arhat statues with varied expressions, carved by Kyoto craftsmen in the mid-Edo period.
Hoonji is a Sōtō Zen temple located in the Kitayama area of Teramachi, Morioka. Its Arhat Hall enshrines 499 wooden arhat statues carved by Kyoto Buddhist sculptors between 1731 and 1735. Each has a different expression and pose. Legend has it that some resemble Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, and visitors often search for the one that looks most like themselves. Admission is about 300 yen. The Kitayama area has many old temples and can be combined with a walk to Mitsuishi Shrine. A bus from Morioka Station takes about 15 minutes.
Opening hours
09:00–16:00
Nearby sights
- Mitsuishi Shrine
- Konyacho & Nakatsu River
- Ishiwarizakura
- Iwate Bank Red Brick Building
- Azumaya Honten (Wanko Soba)
- Morioka History and Culture Museum
- Morioka Takuboku & Kenji Museum
- Morioka Castle Ruins Park