Musō Soseki
Musō Soseki was not only the temple's founding priest, but also its main designer. His sponsor, Nikaidō Dōun, was the lord of Kai in today's Yamanashi prefecture, where Musō had spent his youth. The name of Dōun's family's had originally been Fujiwara, but was later changed to Nikaidō because the family mansion was in Nikaidō. It is likely that he helped Muso because his temple would be erected in the area that had given its name to his family.