Horakuji Temple was founded in 1178 by Taira Shigemori, the eldest son of Taira Kiyomori, the head of the Taira clan. It is said that Shigemori built the temple to honor the spirits of those killed in battle during the Hogen and Heiji Rebellions, in the spirit of equality between friend and foe, and to house the guardian deity of Minamoto no Tametomo, the Nyoirin Kannon Bodhisattva. The temple was destroyed by fire during the campaigns of Oda Nobunaga in 1571, but was rebuilt in the mid-Edo period using the palace of the Oda clan of the Matsuyama Domain in Yamato. This is where the current main hall and gate are located. The temple is also known as the place where Jion Sonja (1718-1804), praised as the "Little Shakyamuni of Japan," studied Sanskrit characters and preached the Ten Good Dharma Words (the Way of Man), became a monk at the age of 13. Within the temple grounds is the Kosaka Kiseki Memorial Museum, which houses the works of the late Kosaka Kiseki, a calligrapher who was awarded the Imperial Prize by the Japan Art Academy.