The Sugao Stone Buddhas (菅尾磨崖仏, Sugao magaibutsu) is a group of religious statues carved in bas-relief into a tuff cliff in Mie neighborhood of the city of Bungo-Ōno, Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
[2] Constructing Buddha statues out of stone is widely practiced in Buddhist areas in Asia.
These images can be divided into three broad types: Magaibutsu (磨崖仏), bas-relief images carved directly into a cliff face, movable independent stone Buddhas carved from cut stone, and cave Buddhas carved inside rock caves, The Sugao images can be classed as Magaibutsu.
Commonly known as the Iwa Gongen (岩権現), the site consists of a total of five half-relief carvings: Senjū Kannon, Yakushi Nyōrai, Amitabha Nyōrai, and Jūichimen Kannon seated from left to right, and a standing statue of Tamon-ten on the slightly diagonal wall to the far right.
[3] The site is approximately 25 minutes walk from Sugao Station on the JR Kyushu Hōhi Main Line.