Nanzen-ji is a Zen temple founded in 1291 by Emperor Kameyama, initially as a retirement villa, similar to Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji. By his request, it was converted to a Zen temple. When the Ashikaga Shogunate instated the Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto, this temple was not included among them, but rather stood in a class of its own, above both the temples in Kyoto and Kamakura, gaining the title of "First Temple of the Land." It played a role in supervising the other Zen temples, and demonstrates the role of religion in government in the Muromachi period.
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