Kōfuku-ji has its origin as a temple that was established in 669 by Kagami-no-Ōkimi (), the wife of
Fujiwara no Kamatari, wishing for her husband's recovery from illness. Its original site was in
Yamashina,
Yamashiro Province (present-day
Kyoto). In 672, the temple was moved to
Fujiwara-kyō, the first planned Japanese capital to copy the orthogonal grid pattern of
Chang'an. In 710, the temple was dismantled for the second time and moved to its present location, on the east side of the newly constructed capital,
Heijō-kyō, today's Nara. Kōfuku-ji (the Temple that Generates Blessings) got its name from Kamatari's son
Fujiwara no Fuhito, who named it after the
Vimalakirti Sutra. Kōfuku-ji was the
Fujiwara's tutelary temple, and enjoyed prosperity for as long as the family did. The temple was not only an important center for the Buddhist religion, but also retained influence over the imperial government, even by "aggressive means" in some cases, thanks to the marriage of Fuhito's daughter to
Emperor Shōmu, becoming the
Empress Kōmyō. In 730, as a result of her conversion and devotion to Buddhism, she ordered the construction of the , now a
National Treasure. When many of the
Nanto Shichi Daiji, such as
Tōdai-ji, declined after the move of capital to Heian-kyō (Kyoto), Kōfuku-ji kept its significance because of its connection to the Fujiwara. The temple was damaged and destroyed by civil wars and fires many times, and was rebuilt as many times as well, although finally some of the important buildings, such as one of the three golden halls, the Nandaimon, Chūmon and the corridor were never reconstructed and are missing today. The rebuilding of the Central Golden Hall was completed in 2018. was a
chashitsu formerly located at the temple and considered one of the . It was relocated due its deteriorated state and is now in the gardens of the
Tokyo National Museum. == Architecture and treasures ==