Katsuo-ji: Temple of a thousand daruma dolls

Katsuo-ji Temple is filled with character – picture panoramic views, a mist-covered bridge over koi fish ponds and a vermilion pagoda. Oh, and it’s literally covered in Daruma dolls, Japan’s recognizable symbol of good luck. Located north of Osaka City in the forested region of Mino, it is a charming getaway from the buzz of the city’s urban sprawl. Known as the “temple for winner’s luck” and the “temple that wins against monarchs,” prayers made here have healed emperors and assisted shoguns to gain many conquests.

Katsuo-ji history

Drawn to the spiritual calm of this mountainous area, Buddhist priests Zenchu and Zensan first constructed a small hut here in the year 727. Myokan, a Buddhist monk known as the incarnation of Kannon Bosatsu, the Goddess of Mercy, sculpted a 2.4-meter-high sandalwood statue of Kannon with eleven faces and 1,000 hands. This became the temple’s main deity.

It was believed that prayers offered here helped Emperor Seiwa regain his health, who then named the temple “Katsuo-ji” meaning “the temple that helps triumph.” Consequent faith drew many followers, and today people flock here to pray for victor’s luck in work, studies, business, sports and virtually any endeavor.

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