Official Approval

As requested by Tenchi Kane No Kami, Konko Daijin devoted himself to toritsugi mediation full-time in his house from November 15, 1859 (October 21, 1859 of the lunar calendar). He sat next to a simple altar in the living room and received visitors one by one every day. His house became a place of worship called the Hiromae. He relayed each person's requests to Tenchi Kane No Kami and revealed instructions and teachings from Tenchi Kane No Kami.
Konko Daijin soon gained a large following, but it was illegal for a farmer to practice a religion without a license. Konko Daijin and his followers encountered legitimacy problems and friction with other religions.

Upon the strong urging of a follower, Konko Daijin applied for and received Shinto priest certification from the government to gain official approval to propagate. However, the new Meiji government abolished this certification system and required all priests to re-register for certification as religious instructors. Konko Daijin refused to re-register and was forced to continue his religious activities discreetly until his death in 1883.

After Konko Daijin's death, his followers succeeded in establishing a religious organization which received approval as a Shinto sect in 1885. Although Konkokyo became part of Shinto on paper, it never worshipped any Shinto god nor followed the ways of Shinto. Finally in 1900, Konkokyo was officially recognized as a separate religion.