Chiba clan
The Chiba clan, with its entrance into the Kantō region, used the area of present-day Chiba City as a power base, and took control of the temple. The clan supported and maintained Chiba-dera from the late Heian period to their downfall in the Muromachi period. According to the Chiba-shū, the history of the clan, the Chiba clan used Chiba-dera as a place to conduct rites and rituals related to the clan. Chiba-dera further benefited from the patronage of Minamoto no Yoritomo, (1147–1199). Yoritomo, after his defeat at the Battle of Ishibashiyama in 1180, sought allies in the Kantō Region. Minamoto prayed daily at Chiba-dera while forging an alliance with the Chiba clan. In recognition of the fulfillment of his prayers for military success and the aid of the Chiba clan, Yoritomo commissioned an extensive renovation of Chiba-dera in 1182 with the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate. The Chiba clan also commissioned structures and Buddhist implements over its long association with the temple, some of which survive and have been designated National Treasures of Japan. The clan invited numerous Buddhist priests and scholars to Chiba-dera, especially from the Tendai sect. In this period the temple became known as a regional center of learning.