Kyoto. John H. Martin
of the Japanese ceramic craft. Once there were 10 different schools or styles of pottery hereabouts; today only Kiyomizuyaki remains—and it is no longer made in Kyoto but in Kyoto’s outskirts due to the anti-pollution laws that have restricted industrial fires. Once the attractions (or distractions) of Kiyo mizu-yaki have been experienced, the top of Kiyomizu-zaka is reached, and the entrance to the magnificent Kiyomizu-dera (Clear Water Temple) can be seen.
3 KIYOMIZU-DERA
Kiyomizu-dera (Clear Water Temple) is one of the oldest temples in Kyoto, its establishment even predating the founding of the city. The temple was created in 788, six years before the Emperor Kammu decided to move his capital to Kyoto. Legend has it that Enchin, a priest at a temple in Nara, had a vision that he would find a fountain of pure or clear water (kiyo-mizu) at which he could build a temple. At the Otawa-no-taki (the Sound of Feathers Waterfall) on the hill side where the Kiyomizudera now stands, he came upon Gyo-ei, a hermit residing at the Otawa Waterfall. To Enchin’s surprise, the hermit announced that he had been awaiting Enchin’s arrival, and now that the priest from Nara had arrived he could move on to a less settled area. He gave Enchin a log of sacred wood and instructed him to carve the log into an image of Kannon, the deity of mercy. With that, the hermit disappeared. Later Enchin found the hermit’s sandals atop the mountain, leading him to the realization that he had been speaking with a manifestation of Kannon who had thereafter ascended from the mountain crest. Enchin carved the image of the 11-headed 1,000-armed Kannon, and he created a small, crude temple building to house the image— the beginning of Kiyomizu-dera.
Kannon was obviously pleased by Enchin’s act and soon after another miraculous event occurred. Sakenoue Tamuramaro, the Emperor’s leading general, went hunting for deer one day near the temple. Having shot a deer, he was immediately reproved by Enchin, who happened to come upon him with the dead animal, for, in the Buddhist faith, killing one of the Buddha’s creatures is forbidden. The warrior, according to tradition, repented his action and as an act of contrition he had his house disassembled and given to Enchin for a proper temple building to house his Kannon image. Enchin’s good fortune did not stop there. In 794, the Emperor had his palace buildings at his capital of Nagaoka (a Kyoto suburb today) disassembled prior to the move to his new capital at Kyoto. Deciding to erect an entirely new palace, he gave his Shishin den (Throne Hall building) to Tamuramaro as a gift in recognition of his military service to the nation. Tamuramaro, in turn, gave the huge structure to Enchin as a new main hall for his temple, since Tamuramaro had become a devotee of Kannon. That original building lasted until 1629 when it was destroyed by fire, and the main hall of the temple today is a reconstruction of what was originally an Imperial palace building. As such, it is one of the few major Buddhist temples with a cypress bark roof rather than the traditional tiled roof of such temples, a remembrance of its original condition as a portion of the Emperor’s palace.
At the head of Kiyomizu-zaka lies the Kiyomizu-dera, which commands the top of this portion of the mountainside. On the left of the initial set of steps is a rare remainder of past times, the Uma-to-dome from the 1400– 1550s, the Horse Stalls at which samurai and daimyo once left their horses when visiting the temple. By contrast, to the right of the steps leading into the temple grounds is a modern attraction, a 20th century solar clock. (The following entries are numbered so as to correspond with the numbered buildings on the accompanying map of Kiyomizu-dera.)
NIO-MON To the right of the Uma-to-dome horse stalls are steps which lead to the two-story Nio-mon (Gate of the Deva Kings) [1] with its cypress bark roof. Two Deva Kings (Nio) stand guard, as do two koma-inu (Korean lion-dogs), to protect the temple from the entry of evil forces. Alone of the many temple structures, this gateway escaped destruction in the 1478 conflagration. The 12 foot (3.6 m) tall Nio on the right has his mouth open to pronounce the Sanskrit “A” while the one on the left has his lips closed so as to pronounce the “ O m” sound, these two sounds being the alpha and omega of Buddhist lore, symbolizing the all inclusiveness of Buddhist teachings.
SAI-MON A second flight of steps leads up to the Sai-mon (West Gateway) [2], another two-story gate whose large cypress-covered roof is held up by eight pillars. The gateway is elaborately carved and reflects the grandiose architectural taste of the Momoyama era in which it was created in 1607. The elephant heads decorating its end beams are said to be a detail brought back from Korea after the military incursions by Japan into that country in the 1590s. Two more Nio guardians stand on either side of the passageway through the gate as additional protectors of the temple. The Shoro (Bell Tower) [3] is to the left of the Sai-mon gate. Although the tower dates from 1596, its bell was cast in 1478.
SANJU-NO-TO The Sanju-no-to [4], the three-storied pagoda of 1633, rises behind the Sai-mon gate to the east, and is the tallest three-story pagoda in Japan. The pagoda was repainted in the traditional vermilion color in 1987 for the first time in a number of years, and this has made it stand out against the weathered brown color of the other buildings of the temple. The pride of early Buddhist temples was to have their structures enhanced by being painted with brilliant vermilion to reflect the grandeur of their Chinese architectural heritage.
KYO-DO A series of small temple buildings follow, buildings which usually are not open to the public. The first one, beyond the Sanjuno-to pagoda, is the Kyo-do (Sutra Storage Hall) [5], which holds the library of the sutras, the sacred Buddhist texts. The building is large enough to serve as well as a lecture hall for the monks, and it contains a Shaka Nyorai as its main image with a Monju, the Buddhist deity of wisdom, and a Fugen image, the Buddhist deity of virtue, on either side.
Sanju-no-to, the tallest three-story pagoda in Japan.
Near the entrance to Kiyomizu-dera, visitors sip water to purify themselves before entering the temple.
The ceiling of the Kyo-do is decorated with a painting of a coiled dragon. Behind it is the Jishiin-in (Temple of Mercy) [6], which is said to have been the favorite place of worship in the late 1500s of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the military and civil ruler of Japan, and it retains some of his belongings.
KAISAN-DO The next building beyond the Kyo-do and to the right is the Kaisan-do (Founder’s Hall) [7], also known as the Tamura-do in honor of the general who donated the Hondo (the main building of the temple) to Priest Enchin back in the 700s. The Kaisan-do holds four multicolored images: the first is of Gyo-ei, the hermit who was practicing austerities on the mountain-side when Priest Enchin first appeared here; the second depicts Priest Enchin; the third represents Tamuramaro, and the fourth is of his wife Takako. These finely colored images, each 2.6 feet (76 cm) tall, are seated on multi-colored platforms.
TODOROKI-MON After the Kaison-do you come to the Todoroki-mon or Chu-mon (Middle Gate) [8]. Temples traditionally have a main gateway followed by a middle gate before the Hondo (Main Hall) is reached. This 1633 middle gate has the name Todoroki-mon (Gate Resounding to the Call of the Buddha’s Teachings) from the fact that the religious chants of the priests should resound to the benefit of all believers. The gate is “protected” by two more Deva Kings who serve as guardians to the innermost areas of Kiyomizu-dera.
BENTEN-JIMA In the distance to the left is a small pond. In its center is a tiny island, the Benten-jima (Benten Island) [9], on which stands a shrine to the Shinto goddess Benten. Most Buddhist temples have one or more Shinto shrines attached to them to offer the protection of the native Shinto gods to the Buddhist deities. Japanese religion, except in the period from 1868 to 1945, has always been able to offer reverence to the original native gods as well as the Buddhist deities, the latter of whom first were accepted in Japan in the early 600s AD.
ASAKURA-DO Beyond the Middle Gate and to the left is the Asakura-do [10], a 1633 replacement for the original building destroyed by fire, which was a gift of Asakura Sadakaga (1473–1512), son of the Emperor Temmu. It has an 11-headed 1,000-armed Kannon with an image of Bishamon-ten and Jizo on either side. Ahead to the east is a stone with the traditional imprint of the Buddha’s feet with an eight-spoked “Wheel of the True