Shounji Temple was constructed between 1624 and 1643 by prominent Buddhist figure Soho Takuan with financial support from the affluent merchant Shoan Tani. At the time, it was commonly called Matsu no Tera or "temple of the pines." Although its buildings were destroyed in a series of air raids, they were subsequently restored. Various relics from the temple like a portrait of Takuan (a national Important Cultural Property) painted at age 67 on commission from Shoan Tani, and pictures of the Gautama Buddha (national Important Cultural Properties) have been entrusted to art museums. The temple is also host to a zen rock garden that is a designated an Osaka Prefecture Point of Outstanding Beauty, which still holds traces of Edo-era style. Shounji Hall also acts as a lodging house for the Dewa-no-Umi Beya Sumo Stable, and grows lively as the Sumo Spring Basho draws near each year.