Kofukuji, the head temple of the Hosso school of Japanese Buddhism, is located just outside the boundaries of the ancient capital Heijo, present-day Nara. The temples roots can be traced by to the middle of the 7th century when Fujiwara no Kamatari turned his residence into a temple, which was called Yamashinadera. The temple served as the tutelary temple for his Fujiwara clan and was revered along with the Kasuga Taisha, the shrine associated with the temple. From the middle ages to the early modern period the temple contained many sub-temples and monk's quarters within its precincts, including the Ichijo-in and Daijo-in, the cloisters of the noble-born monks who led the entire temple. Famous and influential temples such as Hasedera, Yakushiji, and Kiyomizudera were clients of Kofukuji. The temple exerted overwhelming influence as the central temple in Nanto, the Southern Capital (the name for Nara in medieval times), and also as the center of the Hosso school.

日本霊異記
Nihon ryoikiにほんりょういき  
（a national treasure）