The term is said to have originated from the fact that Neiso of the Southern Sung Dynasty protected the five temples of Keizan, Unin, Tendo, Joji, and Ikuo as "gozan" (literally, five mountains), in emulation of India's five Shoja and ten pagodas (The Five Shoja of India).
元は南宋の寧宗_(宋)がインドの5精舎10塔所（天竺五精舎）の故事に倣って径山・雲隠・天童・浄慈・育王の5寺を「五山」として保護を与えたのが由来と言われている。