During the late 1960s, the small temple became well known in the Zen community both in Japan and abroad for its devoted practice of zazen and formal begging, or takuhatsu.

Instead of performing ceremonies such as funerals to make money, Antai-ji relied completely on donations from lay practitioners and begging.

The increase of visitors and the many new houses being built around the temple created much noise, which made it difficult for the practice of Zazen to continue at the Kyoto location.

Therefore, the following abbot, Watanabe Koho (1942–2016), decided to move Antai-ji to its present location in northern Hyōgo.

The eighth abbot Shinyu Miyaura (1948–2002) protected this quiet life of Zazen while putting the ideal of a self-sufficient monastery into practice, until his sudden death in the snow in February 2002.