The temple was revived by Ennin and brought into the Tendai sect during the Kajō era (848-851) of the early Heian period.

The current Hondō was constructed by Sasaki Yoritsuna, the shugō of Ōmi Province, to commemorate the victory over the Mongol invasions of Japan.

In the Sengoku period, the temple was damaged by Oda Nobunaga during his attempt to destroy the power of the warrior monks of the Tendai sect at Mount Hiei and other strongholds.

During the Bakumatsu period, on January 8, 1868, Saigo Takamori of the Satsuma Domain and the kuge Iwakura Tomomi met at this temple to form the Sekihotai militia towards the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate.

The metal fittings on the altar are inscribed with the date of 1288, which corresponds to historical documentation that it had been erected to commemorate the victory over the Mongol invasions of Japan; however, during investigations conducted in 1988 when the roof was repaired, it was found that this structure was built during the Namboku-chō period, and that the metal fittings were reused from the previous structure.

The inner chapel which houses the temple's honzon is a structure with a irimoya-style roof, also with cypress bark, and which is contemporary with the main building.

It was originally a Rōmon, or two-story tower gate, but as with the three-story pagoda, it was allowed to fall into ruin, and the upper story was lost.