Prince Yamashiro, son of Shotoku Taishi (574–622), established Hokiji Temple to honor his father’s dying wish. Construction was completed in 708, but excavations have revealed the presence of an earlier structure on this site. This was the Okamoto Palace, the place where Shotoku Taishi lectured on the Lotus Sutra.

Hokiji Temple flourished in the Nara period, but would later fall into decline and fell under the jurisdiction of Horyuji Temple, which is located nearby. Hokiji Temple’s magnificent three-storied pagoda, which has been designated a National Treasure, is the only original structure remaining from the early eighth century. The priest Shinsei Ennin and his followers restored the pagoda and built the Kodo Hall in the late seventeenth century. The Shotendo Hall was added in 1863. The Kodo Hall enshrines a gilded wooden statue of the Eleven-faced Kannon from the Heian period (794–1185), which has been designated as an Important Cultural Property. Now you can see it in the newly built store house.
In 1993, Horyuji Temple and its inner precincts and surroundings, including Hokiji Temple, became the first site in Japan to be registered as a World Heritage Site.