The temple's water fountain dates to 1677 and is the oldest in town, now designated as a municipal cultural property.

The temple's name comes from five types of grain seeds that Kobo Daishi brought back from China and planted on the temple grounds in the 9th century.

Korean priests fleeing a storm in 577 carved a 145 cm Yakushi Nyorai statue on this mountain. Two centuries later, Kobo Daishi found it and built the temple around it.

Tanema-ji is Temple No. 34 on the 88-temple Shikoku Pilgrimage in Kochi.