The temple was founded in 770 by the monk Gyomyo at the request of Emperor Kojin, grandson of Emperor Tenchi. It was called "Mimuroto-ji Temple.
Later, the name was changed to Mimuroto-ji Temple, replacing the initial "Go" with "San" because the three emperors, Konin, Hanayama, and Shirakawa, had their detached palaces in this area. Mimuroto-dera is the 10th temple of the 33 sacred places of the Kannon Sacred Shrine in the western part of Japan, and is still visited by pilgrims to this day. The temple is one of the most famous flower temples in Kyoto, and visitors can enjoy seasonal flowers such as plum blossoms, azaleas, lotus, and autumn leaves. The hydrangea garden, with 20,000 hydrangeas of about 50 varieties blooming among the cedar groves, is especially beautiful, and the temple is known throughout Japan as "Hydrangea Temple.