Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Sado Chokokuji Temple's Rabbit Kannon Statue

Chokokuji Temple's Rabbit Kannon Statue

This giant statue pays homage to this temple's furry residents who keep the landscape pristine.

Sado, Japan

Added By
Chiara Terzuolo
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
A view of Chokokuji Temple’s “guardian bunny.”   ChiaraT / Atlas Obscura User
Add Photos
A view of Chokokuji Temple’s “guardian bunny.”   ChiaraT / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

Deep in the forest of this remote island is the Chokokuji Temple founded by Kobo Daishi, the same monk who also established the famous Koyasan temple complex in Wakayama Prefecture in 807.

While the temple has been known for its flowering peonies, in 2018 it gained a new claim to fame: a nearly 20-foot tall "Rabbit Kannon." 

The dramatic statue is of a large white bunny with an image of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, sculpted onto its chest. The priest had it constructed in honor of the large community of friendly domestic rabbits who help keep the temple's lawn nicely trimmed. 

Already quite impressive during the daytime, at night the statue reveals another side as the giant bunny's eyes glow a vibrant red. 

Related Tags

Temples Statues Bunnies
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

ChiaraT

Published

January 10, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Chokokuji Temple's Rabbit Kannon Statue
13 Hase
Sado, 952-0204
Japan
37.976595, 138.417846
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Sado Kinzan

Sado, Japan

miles away

Aikawa Prison

Sado, Japan

miles away

Sado Island's Tarai Bune

Sado, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sado

Sado

Japan

Places 5

Nearby Places

Sado Kinzan

Sado, Japan

miles away

Aikawa Prison

Sado, Japan

miles away

Sado Island's Tarai Bune

Sado, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sado

Sado

Japan

Places 5

Related Places

  • Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

    Hongmaogang Baoan Temple

    A rare Japanese-style temple and a Shinzo Abe Statue, honoring both spirits of the past and modern connections between Taiwan and Japan.

  • Funerary stelae and graves from past centuries (note that these are not the Bone Buddhas).

    Osaka, Japan

    Bone Buddhas at Isshin-ji Temple

    This temple is home to a group of Buddha statues made from thousands of bones and ashes of the deceased.

  • Yamagata, Japan

    Night-Crying Sumo Wrestlers

    A quartet of temple guardian statues that allegedly cry at night for being forbidden from wrestling.

  • Kannon and their thirty-three avatars.

    Kamakura, Japan

    Thirty-Three Avatars of Kannon

    In the former treasury of a popular temple, a rare sculptural depiction of Kannon’s diverse avatars.

  • Emma Daio, the Rhadamanthine king of the underworld.

    Kamakura, Japan

    Hall of the Ten Kings at Ennoji Temple

    Feast your eyes on the centuries-old statues of the judges of hell.

  • The Standing Buddha

    Bangkok, Thailand

    The Standing Buddha

    This statue took 60 years to complete.

  • The Minnehaha Bunny is all dressed for winter.

    Minneapolis, Minnesota

    Cottontail on the Trail

    Nicknamed the 'Minnehaha Bunny,' this bronze sculpture is nine feet long and weighs 1,500 pounds.

  • Golden Buddha sits in on a marble pedestal.

    Bangkok, Thailand

    Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit

    This enormous gold Buddha statue was hidden inside a stucco decoy for centuries.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.