Japan Navigator

Kiyomizu Temple always seems to have space in its wide grounds for the endless stream of visitors making their way up the slopes around Gojo and its pottery district. Perched on stilts on a hillside in eastern Kyoto, with the famous platform jutting out into the valley, doubtless Kiyomizu is one of the most impressive temples of Japan. It has been called the “All-Time Temple,” standing above the doctrinal divides of Japanese Buddhism, providing shelter for all under its massive roof.

Many times I have made my way up the slopes to Kiyomizu. I have experienced all seasons here: from the hottest of summer when the shrill cry of the cicadas resounded in the valley below, to New Year’s Eve when I listened to the one hundred and eight ringings of the large bell.

Kiyomizu is older than Kyoto, originating from legend and the pure spring water its name Kiyomizu hints at. At the temple’s founding stands, surprisingly, a formidable military man: Sakanoue Tamuramaro.

[The hall of Liyomizu]

The Holy Man and the General
The general won his spurs by conquering the northern part of Japan’s main island, which until then had been tribal territory not yet under the court’s authority. I will meet the general again later during my pilgrimage, for on his northern campaigns he left a string of temples and images of Bishamonten, the Buddhist god who is Protector of the North. However, he also established Kiyomizu on the slope of Mt. Otowa, looking out over a green wooded basin where at the time before the city’s founding deer used to roam freely.

Before that, according to pious legend, a priest called Enchin had come here to Mt. Otowa. Inspired by a divine dream, Enchin followed a glittering stream, and at its source met a hermit called Gyoei, who suggested him to build a hermitage in this spot. A waterfall clung to the mountain slope like a curtain of clear mist. Enchin also received the advice to carve an image of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, from a log of holy wood Gyoei gave him. The hut was soon built, but for a long time Enchin could not find sufficient inspiration to carve the Kannon image.

Two years later, the historical general came along, hunting deer for a special reason: his wife was pregnant and it was superstitiously believed in those times that obtaining a stag’s blood would facilitate a safe and smooth delivery. The holy monk preached the general the sin of taking life and managed to convert the warrior and his family to Buddhism.

As an expression of his new faith, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro had his own house pulled down and re-established as a Buddhist hall on the mountain. This pious act finally inspired Enchin to carve the Kannon image that had been gestating so long in his mind and enshrine it as the main image of the temple.

Legend places this event in 780. After that, Tamuramaro was given the arduous task of suppressing the Emishi, the unruly tribes of northern Japan. In 798, when he returned briefly between two campaigns, as a reward for his services he was promoted to Generalissimo and in addition received a hall from the former Imperial Palace that stood in the short-lived capital of Nagaoka. Instead of using it as his own residence, Tamuramaro made a donation of it to Kiyomizu, so that it finally could take proper shape as a temple. By now, the capital had been relocated from Nara to Kyoto and the green plain at the temple’s feet was being transformed into a thriving city.

Tamuramaro would finally vanquish the Emishi in 801. For some time, Kiyomizu would retain the character of a family temple of the Tamuramaro clan, although in 810 Emperor Saga recognized it as an official temple of the new capital. In the following centuries, Kiyomizudera developed into one of the most popular temples of the cult of the miracle-working Kannon, on a par with the Hase Temple in Nara and the Ishiyama Temple at Lake Biwa. The temple figures in both the Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon and the Genji Monogatari.

[Gate of Kiyomizu]

The Kannon of Kiyomizu
The hall that Tamuramaro built stands no more. Over the centuries, wars and fires have exacted their toll. The present Main Hall dates from 1633 (also a reputable age), when the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu assisted in the rebuilding of most of the temple after a disastrous fire. The shingled, humpbacked hall is an unforgettable structure. The fact that the roof is not covered with tiles, like most temples, but cypress shingles, serves as a reminder of its origin in palace architecture.

I make my way here through the pottery district at its foot, pass the old Horse Stalls (a kind of parking lot for pre-modern visitors) and then climb the steep steps leading to the Niomon Gate with its imposing protector statues that keep evil out of the temple. Gate and statues date from 1478, which makes it the oldest extant structure. Up another flight of steps, gradually climbing to higher spheres, I next see the Bell Tower featuring a 2.3 ton heavy bell dating from 1478 on my left; and on my right stands the brightly vermilion Three-storied Pagoda, which looks surprisingly new as it was repainted in 1987.

Next I pass the Sutra Hall and the closed Founder’s Hall. In this last building statues of Tamuramaro, Gyoei and Enchin are enshrined. At the Todoriki-mon, another gateway, I pay the modest entrance fee to the priest on duty and then finally reach the side of the main hall. Here also stand the iron geta and staff of 12th c. superman-priest Benkei, or better, the replicas made as an act of piety by a Meiji-period blacksmith.

[Otawa waterfall]

As famous as Kiyomizu’s hall is the wooden stage in front of it, built upon a towering scaffold against the hillside. A total of 139 sturdy poles is used to support the heavy wooden structure. Originally, the stage was used for ceremonial dances. I always enjoy the view over the valley and the city to the right.

Kiyomizu possess many treasures, but – with the notable exception of a group of large wooden votive plates depicting trading ships – most of these are normally not on view. From a religious aspect, of course, the greatest treasure is the Eleven-Headed and Thousand-Armed Kannon, the main image that is only revealed once every 33 years. It is housed in a closed cabinet on the altar in the Inner Sanctum of the Main hall. Reputedly, this is the very statue that Enchin carved from the log Gyoei gave him. Normally, visitors will have to do with a copy of the statue, standing in front of the cabinet, but that copy is beautiful, too. It clearly shows the particular style of the Kiyomizu Kannon, which has two extra arms lifted in a bow above the head holding a small Buddha statue.

On both sides of the altar stand the “Twenty-Eight Followers of the Kannon,” a group of fantastic images that can be studied at more leisure in another temple, the Sanjusangendo. Here, they stand one before the other and cannot be studied in detail. Two more closed cabinets on the altar enshrine the companion statues of the Kannon, Bishamon and Jizo, which supposedly also date back to Kiyomizu’s founding. It is not surprising to find Bishamon here, as he is the Protector of the northern region where Tamuramaro fought his campaigns.

[The terrace of Kiyomizu]

A Hall with a View
I note that Kiyomizu’s hall is turned towards the south, which is the direction of the holy land of the Kannon, Fudaraku. The big stage is also connected with that land: according to the Kannon Sutra Fudaraku is a mountain and therefore Kannon temples were often built on mountains or mountainsides, with a scaffolding extending over the cliff.

I continue my procession through the temple. From the Main Hall, steps lead down to Otowa no Taki, a small waterfall fed by the original spring that gave the temple its name. Visitors stand in line to catch the water in ladles and drink it with surprising disregard for modern disease. They probably believe that the curative power attributed to Kiyomizu’s water will be strong enough. Formerly, ascetic monks would stand under the cold stream of the waterfall, performing the takigyo rite, a more impressive sight than today’s noisy tourists. In fact, the water falls down in three narrow streams, symbolizing the Buddha, his Law and the Priesthood.

Above the waterfall are more temple buildings: a Hall dedicated to Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha, and another one for Amida, the Compassionate Buddha of the Western Paradise. Then there is the Inner Hall or Oku no In, fitted out with a smaller version of Kiyomizu’s stage. From here one has a good view of the Main Hall, but for an even better panorama I usually continue to Taizanji, a small shrine (for easy delivery, harking back to the founding myth) and pagoda on the opposite side of the valley.

This is the supreme spot for photographing Kiyomizu Temple. The huge roof soars up like a mighty ship from the cliff-side, the poles supporting the platform rise up from the bottom of the valley, and the entire scheme of Kiyomizu, from the elegant vermilion pagoda on the left to the Inner Hall lies before your eyes.

[The pagoda of Kiyomizu]

A Mountain Temple in the City
Kiyomizu is special. It is not only a temple for both Japanese and foreign tourists, it is also a living religious institution that continues to play an important role in Japanese Buddhism.

Balancing on its stilts on the hillside, it is a mountain temple that has ended up in the city. This last circumstance also means it has to fight. For years, the temple has had to ward off foolish plans of money-hungry developers and irresponsible city officials who want to destroy the temple’s view and remaining green environment by building apartments on the hill.

I hope Kiyomizu succeeds in keeping the sharks away, if necessary with a little help from the Kannon hidden in its mysterious interior.

Kiyomizu 1-chome, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi
Tel. 075-551-1234
20 min on foot from the Gojozaka or Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (bus 206 from Kyoto St, also 20 min)
Festivals: 17th and 18th of every month: the festival day of Kannon 28th of every month: the festival day of the Fudo Myo-o deity guarding the Otowa Falls. Aug. 9-10 and 14-16: Sennichi-mairi, a rite associated with the Bon Festival. From 14-16 this ritual is held at night by candlelight and at this time it is possible to go before the altar.