Kiyomizu-dera

The temple was founded in 778 around a spring on the Otowa hillside - the name means pure water - and the present main hall dates from 1633. Its stage juts out from the slope about thirteen metres above the ground on a lattice of tall zelkova pillars, joined entirely by traditional carpentry with no nails in the structural frame, and the view from it over Kyoto is the standard image of the city. The Japanese expression about jumping off the Kiyomizu stage, meaning to take a decisive plunge, refers to an Edo-period practice of doing exactly that; records list well over two hundred attempts, most survived, and it was banned in 1872. Below the hall the Otowa waterfall splits into three streams caught in cups on poles - for longevity, love and study, with the local advice being to drink from one rather than greedily from all three. The approach streets are steep, stepped and heavily commercial.

History

By the temple's founding legend, in 778 the monk Kenshin, later called Enchin, of Kōfuku-ji followed a dream to Mount Otowa, found the hermit Gyōei praying to Kannon under the waterfall and, after Gyōei left, carved a Kannon from the sacred tree he had left behind; in 780 the warrior Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, hunting deer on the mountain, was persuaded by Kenshin to give up killing, gave his own house as the main hall and named the temple Kiyomizu, "pure water". The temple counts Gyōei as its founder, Enchin as founding priest and Tamuramaro as patron. In 805 Tamuramaro was granted land for it, in 810 Emperor Saga recognised it officially, and by the mid-Heian period it was a famous Kannon temple, mentioned in The Pillow Book and The Tale of Genji. The present main hall was rebuilt in 1633, after a fire in 1629, with a donation from the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu (Wikipedia, Kiyomizu-dera).

What you'll find

• The stage - about thirteen metres above the ground on tall pillars, nailless joinery.
• The Otowa waterfall - three streams caught in long-handled cups below the hall.
• The city view - Kyoto spread out from the stage rail.
• The approach streets - Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, stepped and lined with shops.

When to go

Late November for maples, April for cherry, or early morning any time. Two to three hours.

Practical notes

It is one of the most crowded sites in Japan and the approach can be shoulder to shoulder. The climb up Sannenzaka is steep and stepped. Night openings in the colour season queue for hours. Only drink from one waterfall stream - taking all three is considered greedy.

Nearby

Gion is north-west; Sanjusangendo is west.

Key facts