The official name is “Ryukokuzan Honganji”(龍谷山　本願寺）, and the name of the religious corporation is Honganji, but it is often called Nishi Honganji in order to distinguish it from Higashi Honganji (formal name: Shinsohonmyo), and it is familiar to Kyoto people called for “Onishi-san” . It was designated as a National Historic Site in 1994, and as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site in the same year.