According to legend, long ago, it was difficult for fishermen in Naruto Bay to catch enough fish to earn a living because the bright light from the honzon's halo reached all the way to the Bay and frightened the fish. To prevent this, the local fishermen built a small artificial hill between the bay and the image in order to block the light. Therefore, the temple came to be known as the Sun Light Mountain (Nisshōzan).

On either side of the honzon are statues of Sakyamuni and Yakushi Nyorai. In the courtyard, in front of the temple, is a thousand-year-old cedar tree known as the Cedar of Long Life (Chōmeisugi), supposedly planted by Kōbō Daishi. It is believed that if you pray while touching it you will be granted a long life.

The cedar tree is now popular among women for easing childbirth The temple has come to be known as the Fudasho of Anzan (the temple which grants an easy childbirth) and is dedicated to pregnant mothers.Legend states that a pregnant woman from ōsaka who had miscarried several times set off on the pilgrimage to find Kōbō Daishi in order to ask for his help with her current pregnancy. She walked the pilgrimage in reverse order (counter clockwise) and he appeared to her just as labor pains were beginning, here at Temple 2. With Kōbō Daishi's help, the woman gave birth to a healthy child. There are numerous statues of Jizō found here, all donated by women who have come to pray for a safe birth.

Temple 2 was also burned down in the wars that ravaged the countryside in the 16th century. The temple buildings are now fairly new and in the process of expansion. A great many books state that, throughout the pilgrimage, the temples with the newest buildings and the most opulent displays are inevitably those dedicated to childbirth.

Note the large marble carving of the Buddha's footprints at the base of the stairs to the daishidō.