Kabusan-ji Temple, Buddhist temple in Takatsuki, Japan

Kabusan-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temple on a wooded slope in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture. Its main hall, rebuilt in 1777, has a dark timber facade with lattice panels and sliding doors, a raised floor reached by a short flight of steps, and a grey metal or tile roof edged with round tile ends. Two white paper lanterns hang beneath curved wooden hoods, and three straw ropes with tassels cross the beams above the entrance.

The temple was founded in 697 and later became established as a Tendai Buddhist institution under Prince Kaisei in 774. This transition shaped its religious identity and practices for centuries to come.

The temple's name, Kabusan-ji, comes from the mountain name Kabu-san, and the grounds still show Shinto-Buddhist mixing: a stone torii stands at the approach and komainu guard the Niō Gate. The three Bishamonten statues are central to worship, and the second, Tobatsu Bishamonten, is shown only at the autumn festival. The temple is the 14th stop on the New Saigoku Pilgrimage.

You can reach the temple by taking a city bus from JR Takatsuki Station's north exit and then walking uphill for about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles). Wear comfortable shoes since the path climbs steadily through the forest.

The temple's founding legend says En no Gyōja carved four Bishamonten figures from a sacred tree; three flew away and are said to be enshrined at Kurama-dera, Asukasōji and Hokke-ji's former okunoin. The temple also keeps a sword attributed to Kusunoki Masashige in its main hall.