History
According to temple tradition, during the Tenpyō-Shōhō era (749–757), the temple was founded by Gyōki at the behest of Empress Kōken, subsequently becoming an Imperial Prayer Temple (Chokugan-sho) under her patronage. At that time, Gyōki carved a statue of the Tathagata (Buddha) with a seated height of three *shaku* to serve as the principal image (honzon), and the temple was named Kōmyō-ji. Later, during the Kōnin era (810–824), Kūkai (Kōbō-Daishi) stayed at the temple to undergo spiritual training; it is said that he subsequently renamed it Higashiyama Hanta-ji—the mountain name (sangō) and temple name by which it is known today.
Although the temple fell into decline for a time, it was later restored by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi. In the second year of the Kōan era (1279), the priest Mongetsu performed prayers at the temple on behalf of Emperor Go-Uda. It is also said that Ippen Shōnin undertook his religious studies and training at this temple. Later, traveling as a "wandering saint" (Suteshijō), Ippen Shōnin dedicated the Three Sutras (Sanbu-kyō) in the first year of the Shōō era (1288) to commemorate his late father, Nyobutsu.
In the first year of the Ōei era (1394), Kaio, the 26th abbot of Sennyū-ji Temple in Kyoto, assumed the position of the 7th chief priest of Hanta-ji at the command of Emperor Go-Komatsu. Subsequently, a succession of eminent priests served as chief priests, including Chōko, who served during the Tenna era (1681–1684). Chōko garnered the patronage of the Tokugawa family, leading to the enshrinement of Kankiten—one of the three personal devotional images (nenji-butsu) of the fourth Tokugawa Shogun, Ietsuna—within the temple precincts. Thanks to the patronage of the Shogunal family, the temple reached the zenith of its prosperity for a time, growing into a massive religious complex comprising 66 sub-temples (bō) and over 100 branch temples (matsuji) .
