Japan in Motion---Pro-web casting from across Japan.

HOME >> Virtual Trip >> Kiyomizudera Temple

Kiyomizudera Temple

One of Kyoto’s oldest temples, the ‘Clear Water Temple’ has its origins in the activities of Enchin, a priest of the Hosso sect in Nara who arrived in the area in or around 778 AD in answer to a vision in which he was instructed to seek out the clear source of the upper reaches of the Kizu River. Receiving from an elderly mountain ascetic a log that was said to contain the spirit of Kannon Bosatsu, Enchin fashioned a statue of the goddess and enshrined it in a small temple.

Today, of course, nothing remains of that first, simple structure. Through the centuries, the temple has burned and been rebuilt repeatedly. Most of the present buildings date from 1633, when they were built on the orders of the third of the Tokugawa shoguns. Kiyomizudera is one of Japan’s best-loved temples, and as such is crowded with tourists more or less year round. Don’t let that deter you, however. There are many places in Kyoto that a visitor might safely pass by, but Kiyomizudera is not among them.

The temple’s principal deity, as mentioned above, is an image of Kannon Bosatsu, often referred to in the west as the Goddess of Compassion. Kannon is the Japanese variant of Avalokitesvara, a figure embodying universal compassion and mercy and one of the most popular deities throughout the Buddhist world. The Kannon enshrined here is an eleven-headed, thousand armed image, one of a number of standard representations of the deity. Tradition holds that long ago, confronted by the overwhelming variety of human sin and suffering, Kannon’s head split with grief into eleven pieces. Each piece became a whole head, and Kannon acquired the ability to gaze in all directions simultaneously, standing in witness to ignorance, suffering and sin and relieving these with a boundless reserve of compassion. For those who are interested in such things, Kiyomizudera is number sixteen on an old pilgrimage route of 33 temples in western Japan devoted to Kannon.

The main hall of the temple, in which the image is housed, is famous for its architecture, both the massive, shingled cypress roof and the large dancing stage which stands before it, thrusting out over a cliff and supported by tall wooden pillars. The stage really is impressive, and is probably one of the country’s most photographed sights. The stage also offers an excellent overlook of Kyoto. The main hall and its stage are National Treasures, and fifteen other structures on the temple grounds are Important Cultural Properties.

There are many things to see at the temple, and fortunately the English language literature is unusually good. As is often the case, some of the most interesting buildings may not be the most visually impressive. Here, one of these is the Founder’s Hall, a smaller building brought to Kyoto from Nara in the early Heian era. The Hall was relocated by Kiyomizudera’s first patron, and contains images of both the priest Enchin and Gyoei, the ascetic who gave Enchin the spirit-possessed log that was carved into the temple’s first image of Kannon.

Otowa no Taki, the ‘Sound of Feathers Waterfall,’ is the actual pure water source from which Kiyomizudera takes its name. Located near the bottom of a long flight of stairs leading down the hillside from the main hall, the waters of Otowa no Taki are credited with a number of powers, including longevity and general fortune. A drink here is also thought to be an aid to academic success, and there are usually groups of students gathered at the falls sipping the water from metal cups to insure good results on an upcoming examination. Feel free to join them. By the time you arrive here, you’ve probably seen a lot. A little help remembering it all can’t hurt.

>>Access
1chome Kiyomizu, Higashiyamaku, Kyoto

Bus
JR Kyoto station===(City bus No.206 or 100, 15 min.)====Gojozaka===(On foot, 10min.)===Kiyomizudera Temple

>>Open Hours
6:00 - 18:00

>>Fees
Adult: 300 yen
Elementary school/Junior high school student: 200 yen

>>Map
Kyoto city map>>Click here to view.

---Matt Mangham