He de-emphasized the use of koans due to their apparent historical association with the competing Rinzai school. In 1796 he also had the sangha hall (sōdō, 僧堂) at Eihei-ji rebuilt in imitation of the Song Dynasty structures that Dōgen had described.
To distance himself from the rival Rinzai school, he minimized the use of koans. He also oversaw the reconstruction of the sangha hall at Eihei-ji in a style inspired by the Song Dynasty architecture as described by Dōgen.