The honzon is attributed to Kōbō Daishi and it is said that he brought it back with him from China. Legend states that when he was here he relieved a woman of a difficult child-birth. Since then it has remained famous for aiding child-birth. In fact, Statler says that this temple has, in two generations, gone from being the poorest to being the richest of the 88 temples on the pilgrimage based solely on women's belief that prayers offered here will enable couples to have children.

Starr notes that women and feeble pilgrims omit Temple 60, going from 59 to 61, but stopping at the "preliminary temple."

The temple has recently been rebuilt in a very concrete and very western style, and looks like a modern American convention center. Both the hondō and the daishidō are made of concrete. Henro are allowed to enter the hondō , and once inside, they sit on chairs instead of tatami. It can seat 500 people!