Triggered by joining one of the Nihon Daruma sect groups that were persecuted by Kofuku-ji Temple, after Dogen's nirvana they gradually began to proclaim themselves as one of the Zen sects.
後に興福寺から迫害を受けた日本達磨宗の一派と合同したことをきっかけとして、道元の入寂後、次第に禅宗を標榜するようになった。