The temple was founded in the mid-Nara period and is known to have been a typical Nara period temple within the grounds of Minamiyama-jo Castle and a large scale that was comparable to the surviving state-supported provincial temple pagoda.
奈良時代中頃に創建され、かつては現存する国分寺の塔に匹敵する南山城地域の奈良時代を代表する大規模な寺院だったと見られる。