The name originates from the old custom that pilgrims nailed wooden votive plates inscribed with their names and birth provinces to the main hall of a temple, hoping to make a connection with the principal object of worship, Kannon (Goddess of Mercy).
かつての巡礼者が本尊である観音菩薩との結縁を願って、氏名や生国を記した木製の札を寺院のお堂に打ち付けていたことに由来する。