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Hundreds of red daruma dolls marked with the character for victory are piled together, one large daruma in the centre looking straight at the camera.

Daruma

Katsuo-ji, Minoh, Japan. 2025

I went up to Katsuo-ji, in the hills north of Osaka, which is known as the temple of winning; its daruma are marked with 勝, victory. People leave them everywhere: on steps, on walls, in the branches of trees, hundreds of red faces in every corner of the grounds.

I found a pile with one large daruma in the middle and framed it so he stares straight back.

Place

Katsuo-ji, Minoh, Japan
34.8627° N, 135.4907° E

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Camera

Body
Sony A7C II
Lens
Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN
Settings
70mm · f/9 · 1/250s