 Because of the importance of both Saitō Dōsan and Oda Nobunaga, many of Gifu's temples hold strong connections to them.Jōzai-ji, for instance, was built by Saitō Myōchin, an ancestor of Dōsan, under the protection of Toki Shigeyori.Dōsan took advantage of this temple's support as he began his domination of Mino Province.