Buddhist temple
Kasagi-dera
笠置寺（かさぎでら）
Kasagi, Sōraku District, Kyoto Prefecture
A mountain temple on the summit of Mount Kasagi, dotted with huge rocks. It enshrines as its principal image a 15 m high rock on which a cliff-carved image of Miroku was once carved.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Prayers associated with this place
Principal image: the huge rock on which the Miroku cliff carving was made (the figure has disappeared; the halo remains)
History and things to know
According to the official guide, the huge rocks have been objects of faith since the Yayoi period; in the Nara period buddhas were carved on the rocks by Rōben and Jitchū of Tōdai-ji, and it flourished as a mountain of ascetic practice. In the Kamakura period Gedatsu Shōnin (Jōkei) came to live here, and in Genkō 1 (1331) Emperor Go-Daigo took refuge here and fought the shogunate's forces; the whole mountain was burned, and afterward it was restored.
Introduced by this site, based on materials from the shrine or temple and public bodies.
Before you visit
It is on the summit, about 45 minutes on foot from JR Kasagi Station.
Official website of the shrine or temple (may be in Japanese)
Sources (in Japanese)
- 笠置寺「御祭神・御本尊・由緒の公式案内」（2026-10-22 確認）
This site is independent of the shrines, temples, and other websites mentioned. No partnership or endorsement is implied.