First established in 1560, this temple was rebuilt as the family temple of the Kobayakawas in accordance with the last wish of Kobayakawa Takakage, a warlord in the Warring States period. In the Edo period, the temple was often used as accommodations for diplomatic missions from Korea. After that, when a peace treaty was signed between Japan and Qing China after the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), which was fought over the rule of the Korean peninsula, the temple was used as accommodation for the Chinese plenipotentiary delegation, led by Li Hognzhang. The temple has a long history of close relationships with foreign countries.