Founded in 1330 by Muso Soseki, it was later patronized by Shingen\'s father Nobutsuna and is said to be where Shingen was buried by his own final wish. The temple is also famous for the 1582 incident in which abbot Kaisen Shoki burned to death during Nobunaga\'s invasion of Kai, chanting the verse \'When the mind is extinguished, even fire is cool.\' The garden (Kenzan Garden), a national historic site, is attributed to Muso Soseki.

Shingen designated Erinji as the Takeda clan's family temple during his lifetime and was buried here by his own wish after his death in 1573. His mausoleum remains on the grounds and draws devoted visitors to this day. The burning of the temple during Nobunaga's 1582 invasion of Kai—when the abbot Kaisen died in the flames reciting his famous verse—was a direct result of the temple's intimate ties to the Takeda.

In 1582, during Oda Nobunaga's invasion of Kai Province, his forces set fire to the four gates of Erin-ji. Chief priest Kaisen Joki is said to have perished in the flames while chanting the verse "If the mind is truly void, even fire feels cool," a harrowing episode still recounted today at this temple renowned as Takeda Shingen's family temple.