Kozanji was revived in 1206 when the monk Myoe received the land of Togano-o from Retired Emperor Go-Toba, and preserves what is said to be Japan's oldest tea garden, planted by Myoe.

In 1206, Retired Emperor Go-Toba granted the land of Togano-o to the monk Myoe Shonin (Koben, 1173–1232) and commissioned the revival of Kozanji. Go-Toba was a devoted patron of Myoe, a great scholar of Kegon and Shingon Buddhism, and his support enabled the establishment of a full monastic training center at Togano-o. Myoe — who criticized Honen's exclusive nembutsu while pioneering the cultivation of tea in Japan and creating the country's oldest surviving tea garden — left an enormous cultural legacy. Kozanji stands today as a testament to Go-Toba's cultural sensibility and deep Buddhist faith, even as the emperor himself would later be exiled to Oki after his defeat in the Jokyu War.