Kumano Nyakuoji Shrine was founded in 1160 by Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127–1192), who invited the Kumano Gongen deity from Kumano in Kii Province to serve as the guardian god of Zenrinji (Eikando). Go-Shirakawa made the arduous pilgrimage to Kumano an extraordinary 34 times (some accounts say 33), demonstrating an intense personal faith in the Kumano deities, and he established shrine branches in Kyoto to maintain that devotion close to the capital. The shrine also served as a purification site where mountain ascetics prepared before embarking on the Kumano pilgrimage. Together with Sanjusangendo, Imahie Jingu, and Imakumano Kannonji, this shrine stands as part of the remarkable legacy of religious devotion that Go-Shirakawa left across Kyoto.