There is a legend that there used to be a small lake at the foot of Mt. Dodogatake, where Kobo Daishi slayed a dragon that lived there. It is said that after Kobo-Daishi slayed the dragon, he carved a statue of the eleven-faced Kannon to contain the dragon's spirit and built a shrine at that spot to pray for the safety of travelers. However, during the Battle of Dokogatake in Tensho 11, the temple was destroyed by fire. The statue of the Kannon was saved by the villagers, and according to a dream, a new hall was built behind the Niomon gate, where the statue of the Kannon is enshrined along with the burnt Niomon statue.