Saicho's reason for taking this trip was to spread the newly established Tendai Sect's Hokke ichijo (Single Vehicle of the Lotus) teachings and to pick six locations throughout Japan to build hoto to serve as local religious and national medical service centres, following the One Thousand Edition Eight Thousand Volume Lotus Sutra sutra.
最澄のこの旅行は新しく立てた天台宗の法華一乗の教えを全国に広める為、全国に6箇所を選んでそこに宝塔を建て一千部八千巻の法華経を置いて地方教化・国利安福の中心地としようとするものであった。