Tanden’an Temple (Rakugakidera)

Tanden'an Temple, popularly called Rakugakidera, or the graffiti temple, invites visitors to write their wishes and prayers directly on the walls of its Daikokudo hall rather than on the wooden tablets more common at other temples. The enshrined deity is Hashiri Daikoku, a running figure of Daikokuten, god of wealth, said to have been carved from a camphor tree donated by warrior Kusunoki Masashige. The temple's origins are unclear, but records show it was reestablished in 1711 and revived by the community in the 1950s after falling into disrepair. The wall-writing tradition makes it one of the more participatory temple visits in Kyoto.