The temple was founded by Gyoki Bodhisattva in 733 at the request of Emperor Shomu. It is a Shingon Buddhist temple where the secret principal image of the temple is the Oikaze Fudo Myo-o, said to have been created by Kobo Daishi Kukai. The temple's treasures include the "Flesh-faced Statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi," donated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi with his own beard grafted onto it; the calligraphy of "Toyokuni Daimyojin" by Hideyori when he was eight years old; and the "Koma-inu" guardian dogs created by Hideyoshi's retainer, Sori Shinzaemon. In recent years, the natural history and myxomycete scientist Minakata Kumagusu has been based here for some time as a research site, and the temple grounds remain a "flowering mountain of Buddhism" covered in moss, various trees, and flowers throughout the year.