The earsplitting sound of Reiganji Temple's bell echoed across Mount Ikoma, home to nearly 300 religious institutions along the border of Osaka and Nara prefectures.
The temple is one of 30 "Chosen-dera" Korean religious institutions — as they are commonly known in Japan — built on the mountain to serve as an anchor for the many residents of Korean descent in the Kansai region.
Many of these temples perform unique religious ceremonies that represent a mixture of ancient Korean shamanism and other folk religions, along with Japanese and Korean Buddhism. Many of them were built at the western base of Mount Ikoma by first-generation Korean immigrants.