The Billiken Shrine in the Tsutenkaku tower contains a wooden statue of a smiling, pointed-headed deity with crossed legs. An American art teacher named Florence Pretz designed the character after seeing it in a dream in nineteen oh eight. It became a global sensation, but by the nineteen twenties, it had vanished from popular culture almost everywhere except Osaka. Local business owners installed the figure here, hoping it would bring good fortune, and visitors still rub its feet to receive luck.
Billiken Shrine
religious