The account of the founding by Prince Shotoku cannot be taken literally, but it is certain that this ancient temple has existed since before the relocation of Japan's capital to the city of Heian-kyo, and the prominent view is that it was founded by the Yasaka clan who immigrated to Japan from the Korean peninsula as a uji-dera, a Buddhist temple financially supported by an aristocratic family.
聖徳太子創建との伝承は文字通りに受け取ることはできないが、平安京遷都以前から存在した古い寺院であることは確かなようであり、朝鮮半島系の渡来氏族・八坂氏の氏寺として創建されたという見方が有力である。