is a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple in Minō city, north of

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. According to an English language brochure given out at the temple, the site was first occupied late in the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

by two priests, Zenchū and Zensan. The Miroku-ji temple was erected in 765 CE. The name "Katsuō-ji" was given by the Emperor Seiwa. The temple was burned in 1184 CE. The present Main Hall and Temple Gate were rebuilt by

Hideyori Toyotomi was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who united all of Japan toward the end of the Sengoku period. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's second ...

. Katsuō-ji is the 23rd temple in the Kansai Kannon Pilgrimage.

"Winner's Luck" and Daruma

The word "katsu" in the temple's name refers to winning. People buy

daruma doll A is a hollow, round, Japanese traditional dolls, Japanese traditional doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen tradition of Buddhism. These dolls, though typically red and depicting the Indian monk, Bodhidharma, vary greatly in c ...

s hoping to obtain "winner's luck".(Source: English language brochure given out at the temple.) If the wish is fulfilled, the daruma is often returned to the temple and left somewhere on the grounds.

References

External links

Katsuō-ji Homepage
Buddhist temples in Osaka Prefecture Important Cultural Properties of Japan Historic Sites of Japan Kōyasan Shingon temples Temples of Avalokiteśvara {{Japan-Buddhist-temple-stub