The temple came to serve as the graveyard of successive members of the three Sen families (Omote Sen-ke, Ura Sen-ke, Mushanokoji Sen-ke) after SEN no Rikyu came to the temple to practice Zen with founding priest Shorei.
千利休が開祖・笑嶺和尚に参禅したことから利休の墓をはじめ，三千家（表千家・裏千家・武者小路千家）歴代の墓所となっている。