Koufuku-ji Temple, located in Noboriouji-cho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, is one of the head temples of Hosso Buddhism which has boasts nearly 1300 years of history. It reportedly dates back to the Nara period when, following the relocation of the capital to Heijyoukyou (present day Nara), Fujiwara Fuhito moved Umayasaka-dera Temple in Asuka to its present site and changed its name to Koufuku-ji Temple. As the prosperity of the Fujiwara clan grew, Koufuku-ji Temple became both powerful and influential.  The temple was one of the "Four Great Temples" of the Nara period and one of the "Seven Great Temples" of the Heian period. Its prosperity was so great that the temple was even appointed as Shugo-shoku, the Protector’s Office, to maintain peace in Yamato (present day Nara) during the Kamakura period. Nanendou (Southern Octagonal Hall) is the 9th temple on West Japan’s thirty-three temple pilgrimage route, and is designated as a World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.