Photo/Illutration Graffiti on a wall inside Ryoanji temple’s Sanmon gate roughly says, “I am the Azure Dragon. I thank the Red Bird. I made the White Tiger wait.” (Provided by Ryoanji temple)

KYOTO--A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of scrawling graffiti on a wall at Ryoanji temple here, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on Nov. 24.

The man has admitted the allegation.

The graffiti roughly read, “I am the Azure Dragon. I thank the Red Bird. I made the White Tiger wait.”

The graffiti apparently is a reference to three of the four Chinese mythological creatures viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions.

Police said the man told them he did it as he just felt inspired.

According to the Ukyo Police Station, Tatsuya Onishi of Yokohama was arrested on Nov. 24 on suspicion of destruction of property.

He is accused of writing the graffiti with blue, red and black oil-based markers at 3:40 p.m. that day on a white wall inside the Sanmon inner gate of the temple in Kyoto’s Ukyo Ward.

A male tourist saw Onishi writing the graffiti and called police. Police found Onishi walking around the temple and arrested him.

Police said Onishi told them, “I want to be a sci-fi writer as I like myths and science fiction. I wrote the graffiti because I felt inspired.”

Ryoanji temple, famed for its rock garden, was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.

Yuko Matsuyama, the temple's chief priest, issued a comment saying, “It is very regrettable, and I never want this to happen again.”