According to Rakuya-ji Temple legend, the temple originates back to 792 when Saicho, founder of the Tendai sect of Buddhism, carved a Buddha statue out of an oak tree and laid it to rest after he sensed a spiritual dream during his visit to the area in seek of materials necessary for the construction of Hiei-zan Enryaku-ji Temple in 792.
The Wooden Seated Statue of the Eleven-Faced Kannon, an important cultural property of Japan that stands 312 cm tall is the largest among all the Eleven-Faced Kannon statues that are designated as important cultural properties of Japan.
Rakuya-ji Temple houses more than 20 Buddhist statues including the main figure, all of which are important cultural properties of Japan.