Ordinary people had a strong antipathy against temples because the system of supervising people through Buddhist priests was enshrined into law in the Edo period by the Terauke system (compulsory temple registration of individuals) enforced by Jisha-bugyo (magistrates of temples and shrines) and because such a system had become a hotbed of corruption.
また、江戸時代の寺社奉行による寺請制度で僧侶を通じた民衆管理が法制化されており、これが汚職の温床となったため、それに対する民衆の強い反発もあった。