Sugimoto-dera is considered to be the first temple, which was built in Kamakura. Year of its foundation - 734 minutes. From the middle of the VIII century the monks began to build in Kamakura and other temples, spreading his teachings and turning the city into the center of Zen Buddhism. The temple belongs to the Tendai school.

The initiative is credited with the creation of the temple Komё - the wife of Emperor Shomu, who ordered to establish the temple, and thus appease the residents of the devastated eastern provinces of the country. As a priest, the priest invited the founder Gёki. He chose the right place to build a temple, which was to be devoted to the goddess of mercy Kannon. It is believed that the name Gёki way or another connected with the 1200 temples in Japan. For his services the priest was awarded Daybosatsu ("The Great Bodhisattva Emperor").

The main shrine of the temple is a statue of Kannon Odinnadtsatiglavoy, which was also created by the founder Gёki. The 851 and 985 respectively for the temple were made two new statue of the goddess. First cut Ennin, who led the Buddhist Tendai priest and the other created by the order of Emperor Gensin Kadzan who lived in a monastery, moving away from the business. Earlier Kadzan appointed Sugimoto-dera, the first item in the pilgrimage "route" the gang that took place on the 33 holy places of the Kanto region. In such a "route" for 33 sanctuaries Kamakura Sugimoto-dera Temple was the fourth stop.

Three statues of the goddess Kannon not injured in the fire, which occurred in 1189. They rescued a man named Bo Dzёday and placed at the foot of the high cedar. This event gave the name to the temple (Sugimoto-dera is translated as "Temple at the base of cedar") and added popularity among the pilgrims. Later the story changed a bit, excluding the savior, and statues as if were saved miraculously. Currently, the church kept five statues of Kannon. The fourth gave Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1191, and the fifth came in 1963 and was made the chief priest.

Temple was accompanied by another legend of the statue of Kannon: that if you drove past the church on horseback unbeliever, then the horse will certainly threw the rider. Once a person very first statue made Gёki leaning Buddhist monastic cloak falling riders in front of Sugimoto-dera stopped, and the temple received another name - GABA Kannon.

In 1337, in the church there was a battle between warriors and warriors Hojo Ashikaga, which killed more than 300 samurai, in memory of which next to the main hall were installed gorintё - funerary stone towers.