Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PRACTICALITIES
»
1-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku
»
main hall ¥300, Tainai-meguri ¥100
»
main hall 6am-6pm, Tainai-meguri 9am-4pm
»
bus 202 or 100 from Kyoto Station to Gojō-zaka or Kiyomizu-michi
First built in 798, Kiyomizu-dera (
清水寺
) belongs to the Hossō sect of Buddhism.
The present buildings are reconstructions dating from 1633. The main hall (Hondō),
which houses a Jūichi-men (11-headed) Kannon figure, features a huge veranda that juts
out over the hillside, supported by 139 15m-high wooden pillars. Just below this veranda
is
Otowa-no-taki
spring, where visitors drink the sacred waters believed to bestow health
and long life.
After exiting the main hall/veranda, up to your left, you will find
Jishu-jinja
, where
visitors try to ensure success in love by closing their eyes and walking about 18m between
a pair of 'Love Stones'.
Before you enter the actual temple precincts, visit one of the oddest sights in Japan: the
Tainai-meguri
. By entering the hall, you are figuratively entering the womb of Daizuigu
Bosatsu, a female Bodhisattva who has the power to grant any human wish.
During the cherry blossom season, autumn foliage season and the summer
obon
season,
Kiyomizu-dera holds evening 'light ups', when the trees and buildings are illuminated.
Dates are: 12 to 21 March, 25 March to 10 April, 6 to 16 August, 11 November to 4
December.
