Kiyomizu-dera

Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu-dera
	"Kiyomizu-dera" in kanji
Japanese name
Kanji	清水寺
Hiragana	きよみずでら
Romanization
Transcriptions
Romanization	Kiyomizu-dera

Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu-dera
清水寺
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhism
Sect	Kita-Hossō
Deity	Kannon
Location
Location	Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Country	Japan
	Shown within Kyoto Prefecture Kiyomizu-dera (Japan)
Geographic coordinates	34°59′42″N 135°47′06″E / 34.99500°N 135.78500°E
Architecture
Founder	Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, reconstructed by Tokugawa Iemitsu
Date established	778
Completed	1633 (reconstruction)
Website
	www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en

Kiyomizu-dera (Japanese: 清水寺, lit. 'Pure Water Monastery') is a Buddhist temple located in eastern Kyoto, Japan. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[1]

History

The temple was established in 778, during the late Nara period, by Enchin Shonin, who was a priest from Nara (the capital of Japan from 710 to 784). He is said to have received a vision telling him to construct the temple next to the Otowa spring.^[2]^[3]

In 798, the shogun Sakanoue Tamuramaro improved the site by including a large hall that was reassembled from the palace of Emperor Kammu (r. 781–806). The emperor had left Nara to escape the strong influence that the Buddhist monasteries had on the government there. During this period there was a strong rivalry between the Kofuku-ji and the Kiyomizu-dera temples, and both had influence around the region.^[2]

Many of the temple's present buildings were constructed in 1633 on the orders of the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.^[4] There is not a single nail used in the entire structure. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means "pure water".^[5]^[6]

It was originally affiliated with the old and influential Hossō sect, dating from Nara times.^[3] However, in 1965 it severed that affiliation, and its present custodians call themselves members of their own Kita-Hossō (Northern Hossō) sect.^[7]

Present

The expression "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression "to take the plunge".^[6] This refers to an Edo-period tradition that held that if one survived a 13-meter (43-foot) jump from the stage, one's wish would be granted. During the Edo period, 234 jumps were recorded, and of the jumpers, 85.4 per cent survived.^[6] The practice was prohibited in 1872.^[6]

The temple complex includes several other shrines, among them the Jishu Shrine, dedicated to Ōkuninushi, a god of love and "good matches".^[5] Jishu Shrine possesses a pair of "love stones" placed 10 meters (30 feet) apart,^[8] which lonely visitors can try to walk between with their eyes closed. Success in reaching the other stone with their eyes closed implies that the pilgrim will find true love.^[9]

The complex also offers various talismans, incense, and omikuji (paper fortunes). The site is particularly popular during festivals, especially at New Year's and during obon in the summer, when additional booths fill the grounds selling traditional holiday foodstuffs and souvenirs.^[10]

In 2007, Kiyomizu-dera was one of 21 finalists for the New Seven Wonders of the World,^[11] but was not picked as one of the seven winning sites. The temple was covered entirely by semi-transparent scaffolding while it underwent restoration works in preparation for the 2020 Olympics.

Architecture

Kiyomizu-dera is located in the foothills of Mount Otowa, part of the Higashiyama mountain range that dominates eastern Kyoto. The main hall has a large veranda, supported by tall pillars using kakezukuri [ja], that juts out over the hillside and offers views of the city. Large verandas and main halls were constructed at many popular sites during the Edo period to accommodate large numbers of pilgrims.^[12]

Beneath the main hall is the Otowa waterfall, where three channels of water fall into a pond. Visitors can catch and drink the water, which is believed to have wish-granting powers. There is also the Tainai Meguri, a dark tunnel said to represent the womb of Daizuiku Bosatsu (the bodhisattva Mahāpratisarā).^[13]^[14]

Gallery

Kiyomizu-dera in autumn
Kiyomizu-dera in winter
A niōmon (deva gate)
Statuettes of Ksitigarbha (or Jizō) en masse
Otowa-no-taki, the waterfall where visitors drink for health, longevity, and success in studies
Kiyomizu-dera, Illuminated
Dougong architectural element, Kiyomizu-dera
Dragon sculpture at Kiyomizu-dera
Right to left: Kaisan-do (Founder's Hall), Kyo-do (Sutra Hall) and Sanju-no-to (Three storied Pagoda)
View of Kyoto and Niōmon from Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu-dera

References

^ "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)". Retrieved 2008-12-20.
^ ^a ^b "Kiyomizu-dera". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
^ ^a ^b Graham (2007), p. 32
^ Graham 2007, p. 37
^ ^a ^b "Kiyomizu Temple". 2007-04-07. Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Kiyomizudera, Kyoto". Archived from the original on 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
^ "Kiyomizu-deploy". Archived from the original on 2023-07-12.
^ "恋占いの石". Retrieved 2020-08-03.
^ "japanvisitor.com". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
^ "Kiyomizu-dera Temple". Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
^ "The Finalists for The Official New 7 Wonders of the World". Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
^ Graham 2007, p. 80
^ Mukri, Farha (3 April 2019). "From darkness to light at Japan's Kiyomizu-dera". The Hindu. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
^ "Kiyomizu-dera temple is one of Kyoto's must-see attractions!". 13 June 2016.

Sources

Graham, Patricia J. (2007). Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3126-4.
Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon (1956). Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869. Kyoto: The Ponsonby Memorial Society.