The shrine's name contains 'ji' (寺), meaning Buddhist temple, yet it functions as a Shinto shrine today because of forced separation between Buddhism and Shinto during the Meiji Period.

In 1574, the entire shrine complex burned to the ground during an uprising, reducing it from a religious city of 6,000+ residents and 8,000 warrior monks to less than one-tenth its former size.

Over 200 species of moss blanket the shrine grounds, earning it the nickname 'Moss Temple.' The moss-covered approach path is so prized it was designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 1930.

The shrine was founded in 717 after a monk named Taichō experienced a divine vision where the goddess Izanami emerged from a sacred pond and told him to climb Mount Hakusan.