Its first appearance in literature is as "Kaicho-ji Temple" in the Kanto Gechijo-an (judicial documents for the Kanto region) dated 1240, which is part of the Kasuga Taisha Shrine collection of correspondence.
春日大社文書中の仁治元年（1240年）の年記のある「関東下知状案」に「戒場寺」と見えるのが文献上の初見とされる。