The temple was commandeered by the Tokugawa shogunate for use as a conference hall during negotiations to end Japan's national isolation policy. The Russian delegation under Vice-Admiral Euphimy Vasil'evich Putiatin, was trapped in Shimoda at the end of 1854 when a tsunami caused by the Ansei Tokai earthquake destroyed their fleet.
The temple was seized by the Tokugawa shogunate to be used as a conference hall for discussions that would lead Japan out of its isolation. The Russian delegation led by Vice-Admiral Euphimy Vasil'evich Putiatin, trapped in Shimoda at the end of 1854, were caught up in an emergency when a tsunami triggered by the Ansei Tokai earthquake sank their fleet.