 Kiyohira, who had been forced into bloody battles and lost his family in the war, resolved to bring peace to the region based on an ideal society following the teachings of Buddha.Per the "Azuma Kagami" (the official history of the Kamakura shogunate) the temple contained more than 40 halls and pagodas, and over 300 monks' residences.Kiyohira's son Fujiwara no Motohira continued this plan, and commissioned his own great temple, Mōtsū-ji, nearby.