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Kōfuku-ji's predecessor was Yamashina-dera, built by the wife of Fujiwara no Kamatari in her private residence at Yamashina, Yamashiro Province (now Yamashina Ward, Kyoto) to pray for her husband's recovery. In 710, when the capital was moved to Heijō-kyō (now Nara), Fujiwara no Udaijin relocated Yamashina-dera to its current location and renamed it Kōfuku-ji.
Under the protection of the emperor and the Fujiwara clan, Kōfuku-ji flourished and was subsequently listed as one of the "Four Great Temples" of the Nara period and one of the "Seven Great Temples" of the Heian period. However, most of its buildings were tragically destroyed during the "Nanto Burning" in 1180, instigated by Taira no Shigehira. Although repairs were made during the Kamakura period, the temple faced repeated destruction and reconstruction thereafter. By the Edo period, a major fire in 1717 destroyed the main pagoda and hall, leaving only the Northern Octagonal Hall, Eastern Golden Hall, Five-story Pagoda, Three-story Pagoda, and Dining Hall. Subsequently, reconstruction efforts gradually progressed, and in 2018, the Central Golden Hall was rebuilt for the first time in about 300 years.
Within Kōfuku-ji, there are numerous national treasures such as the Northern Octagonal Hall, rebuilt during the Kamakura period, the Five-story Pagoda and Eastern Golden Hall from the Muromachi period, and the Southern Octagonal Hall from the Edo period. Additionally, the National Treasure Hall houses temple treasures designated as national treasures, including the famous Ashura statue and the "Dry Lacquer Statues of the Eightfold Deities." Many temple treasures and cultural properties can be seen here.
