Created to imitate the garden (designed by Muso Soseki) of Saiho-ji Temple, also known as "Koke-dera temple," it was subjected to renovations during the Edo Period that are said to have robbed it of any resemblance to how it originally looked.
「苔寺」の通称で知られる西芳寺庭園（夢窓疎石作庭）を模して造られたとされるが、江戸時代に改修されており、創建当時の面影はかなり失われていると言われる。