The current location of Byodo-in Temple is where the Sadaijin (Minister of the Left), MINAMOTO no Toru of Saga Genji, who is said to have been the model for Hikaru Genji, built his villa at the end of the 9th century, which was then passed on to Emperor Uda who gave it to his grandson MINAMOTO no Shigenobu before it became the Uji-den villa of Regent FUJIWARA no Michinaga in 998.
現在の平等院の地は、9世紀末頃、光源氏のモデルとも言われる左大臣である嵯峨源氏の源融（みなもとのとおる）が営んだ別荘だったものが宇多天皇に渡り、天皇の孫である源重信を経て長徳4年（998年）、摂政藤原道長の別荘「宇治殿」となったものである。