In the Heian Period (794-1192), it was widely believed that natural disasters and epidemics were caused by revengeful spirits, and rites for the spirits of the dead were often held in order to calm such spirits.
This shrine became famous as the shrine for ceremonies to drive away such spirits.
The battle that occurred in this area on January 18, 1467 was the beginning of the Onin War, a great civil war that lasted for ten years and reduced Kyoto to ashes.