Hosshinmon Oji is one of the five highest-ranking Oji sub-shrines of the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi route, 7 km from Kumano Hongu Taisha. The Gate of Aspiration marked entry into Kumano's sacred realm, where emperors on pilgrimage would ritually purify themselves. A World Heritage component popular as a trailhead.

The founding date of Hosshinmon Oji is unknown, but it is believed to have been established during or after the mid-Heian period, when pilgrimages to the Kumano Sanzan became increasingly popular. Hosshinmon Oji was counted among the prestigious "five principal oji" within the network of wayside sub…