The second abbot, Nisshin, endured having a red-hot iron pot placed on his head by shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori, earning him the nickname 'Pot-wearing Nisshin' and making him a symbol of unwavering faith.

At age 21, monk Nisshin performed a brutal 100-day winter water austerity in the temple's pond, which is still called 'Gyō-no-ike' (Practice Pond) and visible in the grounds today.

Built on the former estate of Chiba Tanesada, descendant of powerful Kamakura-era retainer Chiba Tsunetane, the temple was founded in 1385 to pray for his ancestors' souls after the shogunate's fall.

The temple houses a single-piece keyaki wood statue of Jurōjin, one of the Seven Lucky Gods, whose deer companion symbolizes 3,000 years of longevity.