Located in Kuragari-toge Pass on an ancient kodo highway that connected Nara with Naniwa (modern-day Osaka). During the Edo era, numerous haiku poets, including the renowned Matsuo Basho, visited this site - called Gokiri no Sato or the "village of haircutting" - to hear the cuckoos singing nearby.Legend says that two married ogres lived here over 1,300 years ago and devoured travelers who came through Kuragari-toge Pass. The legends state that En no Gyoja explained the teachings of Buddhism to these ogres, causing them to cut their hair in penance for their deeds. He then founded Jikoji Temple on the spot, at Mt. Gokiri. The temple grounds are designated by Osaka Prefecture as a scenic location. The temple also holds opening and closing Toakeshiki (third Saturday of March) and Tojimeshiki (third Saturday of September) ceremonies in spring and fall, in which two shugenja mystics race up the stone stairwell dressed as red and blue ogres.