Kyoto a Cultural Guide. John H. Martin
a not unusual situation prior to 1868 when the government forcibly separated the two religions, often through destructive physical separation. Somehow the Jishu Shrine remained on the small hill just behind the Hondo of Kiyomizu-dera. As with many Shinto shrines, it has more than one resident god. In this case, it enshrines the tutelary Shinto god of the land on which the temple and shrine sit It also enshrines the wayward brother, Susa-no-o, of the imperial family's supposed ancestress Amaterasu Omikami.
If that were not enough, the shrine also reverences Okuninushino-Mikoto, and a statue of the god and a rabbit stand at the head of the steps leading up to this tightly packed set of Shinto buildings. The ancient Kojiki, the legendary account of Japanese history, tells of a deceitful rabbit who was punished by having its skin peeled from its body. Okuninushi is said to have taken pity on the rabbit, to have healed it, and to have led it to reform its ways; thus, they are both honored here. More important, however, and particularly to young women who can be found giggling at the shrine, is that the god of love and good marriages resides within.
The heart of the shrine is the Mekura-ishi (Blind Stones). These two stones are set some sixty feet apart. If one walks from the first stone to the second stone with eyes shut and arrives at the second stone (without opening the eyes while walking) repeating the loved one's name continuously en route, success in love and marriage is guaranteed. The unsteady walker, it is presumed, had best seek another lover. There are other alternatives for the unsteady, however, since the shrine has a most successful business in the sale of charms which can guarantee success in love, luck on examinations, easy delivery in childbirth, good luck, long life, wisdom, good fortune with money—and, just to prove that the gods are up-to-date, the shrine also can make available charms for safety in traffic. little wonder that it is a popular shrine.
Joju-in A visit to the Kiyomizu-dera between November 1 and November 10 provides a special delight, for then the garden of the superior of the temple is open to the public. The Joju-in (Achievement Temple), the superior's residence, can be reached by a path to the north of the main entrance to the Kiyomizu-dera. Originally a private temple for the emperor Go-Kashiwabara (reigned 1500-26), it is noted for its exquisite garden usually attributed to two of Japan's most noted landscape gardeners: Soami (1455-1525) and Kobori Enshu (1579-1647).
The Superior's small garden on the edge of the Yuyadani valley seems much larger than when it is viewed from the veranda and rooms of the joju-in's north-facing shoin (study). This seeming spaciousness is derived from the device of "borrowed scenery" whereby the plantings in the garden seem to merge with the neighboring hillside as though all in view were part of the garden itself. The garden is created around a pond which has two islands. A large stone in the pond, the Eboshi-ishi (Eboshi Stone), is so called from its resemblance to the formal hat (eboshi) worn by the nobility in the Heian period (794-1185); the angle of the stone suggests the head of a nobleman bowed in prayer. A water basin whose shape resembles the long sleeves of a young girl's kimono is called the Furisode (Sleeve Basin). This stone was donated to the temple by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the 1590s. Noted as well are some of the garden's stone lanterns, particularly the one called Kagero (Dragonfly) on the larger island.
Daiko-do Returning from the Joju-in toward the entrance to the temple, one passes a series of 500 small stone Buddha images surrounded by ferns on a hillside, the images having been placed about an Eleven-faced Kannon. Further toward the western end of the grounds is the Daiko-do, the Great Lecture Hall, which was built in 1978 on the 1,200th anniversary of the founding of the temple. The Tahokaku (Tower of Treasures) of the Daiko-do has a wing on either side, and the walls of the base of the tower hold a Buddha's footprint thirteen feet long while the walls surrounding the footprint have 4,076 images of the four major Buddhas. The seventy-nine-foot-long walls about the area have an image of these four Buddhas inscribed on them: the Taho Nyorai on the north wall, the Shaka Nyorai on the south wall, the Yakushi Nyorai on the east wall, and the Amida Nyorai on the west wall. The upper hall of the tower contains some of the ashes of the historic Buddha.
The walk down the hill to Higashi-oji-dori and the bus lines can be taken by the alternative street Kiyomizu-michi, which parallels Kiyomizu-zaka one street to the south. Partway down the hill are the Kyoto Tojiki Kaikan pottery hall and the Kyoto Craft Center, where one may get Kiyomizu-yaki or other ceramic wares before leaving this center of traditional and contemporary pottery.
NISH IOTANI CEMETERY
At the foot of the hill at Higashi-oji-dori lies the entry to the Nishi Otani Cemetery. The small double bridge over the waterway has been nicknamed the Spectacles Bridge since the reflection of its semicircular arches in the water makes for a complete circle and the circles and the structure of the bridge can be perceived as a pair of spectacles. A cemetery may seem to be an unusual place to visit, but this mortuary for the abbots of the Nishi Honganji and the followers of the Jodo Shinshu sect of the great priest Shinran offers another aspect of Japanese life.
When Shinran thed on November 28, 1262, his body was cremated, and, eventually, in 1694, his remains were moved from his original burial site to a hexagonal mausoleum at the Nishi Otani Cemetery, one of the two oldest cemeteries in Kyoto. (A portion of his ashes was also placed in the Higashi Otani Cemetery of the Higashi Hongan-ji temple, which is a branch of Shinran's faith.)
Taiko-do The path over the bridge leads to the main gate of the cemetery, and once past the gateway the Taiko-do (Drum Tower) is to the left. This two-story structure has been used as place of penance for refractory monks, and here they do penance by beating a drum (taiko). Behind the Taiko-do is the Shoro, the bell tower of the complex. Ahead is the Amida worship hall, the Amida-do, with its gilt image of Amida. To the south of the Amida-do are two structures: in the modern building to the southwest a Japanese-style lunch may be obtained, and here visitors may purchase flowers to place in the mortuary building; the building to the southeast of the Amida-do contains the office responsible for receiving the ashes of deceased members of the sect
Haiden Behind and to the left of the Amida-do is a two-story gateway, and beyond it is the Haiden (Oratory), which stands before Shinran's tomb. At the Haiden, the ashes of the dead are ceremonially received by a priest in a brief religious service before committal to the mortuary hall. In 1966 the Muryoju-do (Hall of Immeasurable Bliss) was erected to the south of the Haiden. This modern, concrete structure is a repository for the ashes of members of the sect. There is a large chapel on the second floor for services, its entry wall enriched with a gold screen and a golden image of Amida. Across the open courtyard is the columbarium building where the ashes of the deceased are placed in compartments.
To the right and left of Shinran's tomb, in an area not open to the public, are the graves of the abbots of the Nishi Hongan-ji. Old trees about the area add dignity and serenity to the site.
On leaving the Nishi Otani Cemetery, one is back at Higashioji-dori. Here bus 18,202,206,207, or a taxi can be taken to one's next destination within the city.
THE SANJUSANGEN-DO is one of the sights that all visitors to Kyoto wish to see, for its 1,001 golden images are remarkable. They are particularly unusual when one recalls the number of centuries they have survived despite the many fires, earthquakes, and even wars that Kyoto has suffered. While this walk begins with the spectacular golden Kannon of the Sanjusangen-do, there are other fascinating sites virtually across the street as well as a few streets away, places that the average visitor too often misses. These other attractions are connected with Toyotomi Hideyoshi who ruled Japan at the end of the 1500s and who brought prosperity back to the formerly war-ravaged city. In addition, the lovely house of one of the most distinguished potters of the twentieth century, that of Kawai Kanjiro, is another site that few foreign visitors have heard of, and yet it offers an invitation into a traditional home right in the heart of Kyoto. It is the home of a man of taste and artistic ability, and the climbing kilns in which he made his pottery are one of the unusual sights seen during a visit to his home and workshop.
Of course, there is but little choice as to where one should start this particular tour, since the Sanjusangen-do with its golden Kannon will always head any visitor's list of places that must be experienced.
SANJUSANGEN-DO