This temple was originally the private assembly hall of a Korean monk who came to Japan in 701, the first year of Taihō. The statue of Kannon was his personal Buddha. Kōbō Daishi came here early in the 9th century and rebuilt it after it had fallen into disrepair as no one was staying here to maintain it.

Legend states that at one time the land in this area was inhospitable to growing crops. When Kōbō Daishi was passing through the area, the one lone woman who still lived here begged him for company. He changed the course of the river, bringing it closer to the temple. The river brought fertility to the land and other farmers quickly moved back to the area. Thus the woman had her company.

The sister of Emperor Go-Shirakawa was once chief abbess/nun here during his reign in the 12th century. The temple was destroyed by fire in 1873 but later restored.

The temple is located in the town of Kuma at an elevation of 1,600 ft. and situated in a calm and quiet forest of cedar trees. Note the beautiful Niōmon and a pair of giant waraji.

Frederick Starr notes that between Temple 44 and 45, there is a deep, dark cave where an enshrined statue of Fudō is worshipped.