Wooden Standing Statue of Eleven-Faced Kannon

The History of Funabashi Anrakuji

Anrakuji is a temple of the Rinzai Zen sect, Myōshin-ji school, said to have been founded in the Nara period — traditionally dated to 741 (Tempyō 13). According to local tradition, when Owari Kokubunji (the provincial Buddhist temple of ancient Owari Province) was built under imperial decree, four sub-temples were established at the cardinal points around it. These four temples each bore the character "raku" (楽, meaning "joy" or "ease") in their names and were collectively known as the Shirakuji, or "Four Joy Temples." Anrakuji stood to the north, paired with Heiraku-ji to the east, Choraku-ji to the south, and Shoraku-ji to the west.

In its earliest centuries, Anrakuji was a Tendai-school temple known as Kannon-ji, named for its principal image of Kannon. During the turbulent Nanboku-chō period (1331–1392), the temple was reorganized under the Zen master Enkō Daishō Zenji — the founder of the nearby Myōkō-ji in Ichinomiya — and was converted to the Rinzai school, which it remains today. The temple appears in the Edo-period gazetteer Owari Meisho Zue and has long been counted as the twenty-fifth sacred site of the Owari Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage.

Note for visitors: Inazawa City is home to two temples named Anrakuji — one in Funabashi-cho and another in Okuda-cho. The Eleven-Headed Kannon described in this article belongs to the Funabashi Anrakuji.

Why It Was Designated as an Important Cultural Property

The Wooden Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon was designated a National Important Cultural Property on August 10, 1915 (Taishō 4), making it one of the earliest works in Aichi Prefecture to receive such recognition under the modern protection system. A major conservation treatment was undertaken in 1933 (Showa 8) to ensure its long-term preservation.

Several qualities mark this image as exceptional. It is carved from a single block of kaya (Japanese nutmeg-yew) wood — a technique known as ichiboku-zukuri — that was favored in earlier centuries before the more flexible joined-block method became dominant in the late Heian era. The smooth, restrained drapery, the low and finely incised crown band, and the soft, almost childlike modeling of the face are all hallmarks of late Heian sculpture, the so-called Fujiwara style. Together they place the work firmly in the eleventh or early twelfth century.

The Owari region around Inazawa preserves a remarkable cluster of late Heian sculpture — including the Amida triad and seated Shaka Nyorai also housed at Anrakuji — and this Eleven-Headed Kannon stands among the finest survivors. Its presence demonstrates the surprisingly high level of cultural and religious activity in this provincial heartland during the Heian period.

Highlights and Aesthetic Features

Visitor Information

The Wooden Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon is the principal image of Anrakuji and is treated as a hibutsu — a "hidden Buddha" that is unveiled to the general public only once every thirty-three years. Outside of these formal openings, occasional special public viewings are organized for cultural-heritage promotion, such as the Cultural Property Open Day held in November 2024.

Visits to the temple's inner sanctuary outside of these special days require advance arrangement. Travelers wishing to view the statues should contact the temple in advance by telephone; a goodwill offering (shinō) is customary in lieu of a fixed admission fee. The temple also opens the front portion of its main hall on the eighteenth of every month, the monthly observance day for Kannon, weather permitting.

The grounds themselves can be visited freely. The hundred-meter approach lined with cherry trees is especially beautiful in early April, when the path is transformed into a tunnel of pink blossoms — one of the loveliest spring sights in the Inazawa countryside.

Surrounding Attractions

Inazawa is one of the historical heartlands of Owari Province and offers a surprisingly rich cluster of cultural sites within a short ride of Anrakuji.