As Kobo Daishi decided that it was the temple of the Shingon sect before he opened Koyasan Mountain (the holy place of the Shingon sect), Okura-ji Temple has also been called 'Moto Koya' (original Koya), and has been regarded as a religious site of the sect.
弘法大師が高野山を開く前に道場としたとされることから「元高野」とも呼ばれ、信仰されてきた。