Osaka｜Katsuo-ji Temple surrounded by Daruma, a thousand-year-old temple where shoguns from the Kamakura shogunate would come to seek victory

An ancient temple surrounded by tens of thousands of Daruma is located in Minoh City, north of Osaka. It is a temple that has been believed in "seeking good luck" since ancient times. Even the powerful generals from the Kamakura Shogunate and the Muromachi Shogunate would come here to worship again and again. What is its charm? It is said that in the year of Hokki, Kaisei, the brother of Emperor Kanmu who entered Buddhism, founded Mirokuji Temple here. In order to pray, he copied 600 volumes of the Great Prajna Sutra. Since the Heian period, this has been a temple visited by the royal family and nobles. Legend has it that the abbot prayed for Emperor Seiwa and then miraculously recovered. Therefore, it was passed on by word of mouth as "Shooji Temple", but because it was too ostentatious, it was finally changed to Katsuoji Temple with the same pronunciation. Katsuoji Temple mainly enshrines the 11-faced Thousand-armed Guanyin and belongs to the Koyasan Shingon sect. To this day, people still come here to pray for smooth exams, winning competitions, prosperous business, and overcoming diseases. The most attractive thing is the offering shed. The believers draw their own eyes on the Daruma they worship, symbolizing their determination to achieve their goals, just like Bodhidharma. By the way, there is a Daruma with a $ symbol on his eyes. Come and find it if you have a chance. In addition, the fortune in the temple is hidden in the small Daruma pottery dolls. After the believers take out the fortune poems, the creative small Daruma is decorated on the bell tower, eaves, and even in the tree holes in the temple. The temple is also very creative to give a postcard when you enter. You have to walk through the main hall, Taho Pagoda, Nikaido, etc. before you can stamp a Daruma postcard of Katsuo Temple. 📍Address: 〒562-8508 2914-1 Aoyamatani, Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture 🚗Take the Kita-Osaka Express and subway joint train to Minoh Kayano, and transfer to Hankyu Bus No. 29 or 30 to reach it. #5月好去处2025