Kyoto. John H. Martin
1,000 Buddha figures in relief as well as a number of larger such images also in raised relief. It was here that the doctrine of the Nembutsu (Namu Amida Butsu, “Praise to the Buddha Amida”) was proclaimed in 1188 by Priest Honen, thereby creating the cult of Amida and the Jodo sect of Buddhism. The repetition of this phrase insures one of being received by Amida in his Western Paradise after death. A special Nembutsu service takes place here five times a year.
OKUNO-IN The last building in this row is the thatched roofed Oku-no-in (the Inner Temple) [14]. This was the site of the original grass hut of Gyo-ei, the hermit whom Enchin came upon at this spot. Here Enchin created the rude hut which housed the three images he had carved of Kannon, Bishamon-ten and Jizo, and here later stood the house which Tamuramaro gave Enchin to replace the simple hut housing the sacred Kannon image. In front of the Okuno-in is a Butai, a dancing stage similar to but much smaller than the one in front of the Hondo (Main Hall). Behind the Okuno-in is the Nurete Kannon image, a figure standing in a water-filled basin. It is an act of purification and piety to dip water from the basin and pour it over the head of the Kannon.
OTAWA-NO-TAKI Below the Oku-no-in, at the foot of the grand staircase bypassed earlier, lies the Otowa-no-taki, the “Sound of Feathers Waterfall” [15]. Water falling down the three-part waterfall is said to have divine power which prevents illness, and thus many visitors will be seen drinking from long, wooden-handled metal cups which enable them to reach out and partake of the curative waters of the falls. The most devout of devotees of the temple can be seen at times, clad all in white, standing under the icy waters of the falls as an ascetic practice, even in the coldest of winter weather. The deity of these falls is Fudo-myo-o, a ferocious-looking deity who punishes evil doers. It is this Fudo, enshrined at the waterfall fount, whom the devotees worship as they toss coins into the basin before drinking the sacred waters.
JISHU SHRINE A most popular Shinto shrine exists right in the middle of the Kiyomizudera Buddhist temple, a not unusual situation prior to 1868 before the government forcibly separated the two religions, often through destructive physical separation. Somehow the Jishu Shrine [16] remained on the small hill just behind the Hondo of the Kiyomizu-dera. As with many Shinto shrines, it has more than one god resident. In this case, it en-shrines 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 Emperor’s supposed ancestress, Amaterasu-no-mikoto.
If that were not enough, the shrine also reverences Okuninushi-no-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 which 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 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 here.
The heart of the shrine are the Mekura-ishi (Blind Stones). These two stones are set some 60 feet (18 m) apart. If one walks from the first stone to the second with eyes shut, and arrives at the second stone (without opening the eyes while walking) and repeats 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 in 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 1st and November 10th provides a special delight. For then the garden of the Superior of the temple is open to the public. The Joju-in, the Superior’s residence [17], can be reached by a path to the north of the main entrance to the Kiyomizudera. 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 (1472–1523) and Kobori Enshu (1579–1641).
The Joju-in (Superior’s residence) at Kiyomizu-dera features a famous garden and pond.
The Superior’s small garden on the edge of the Yuya-dani Valley seems much larger than when it is viewed from the veranda and rooms of the Joju-in’s north-facing shoin (main room). 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 in its midst. 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 (798–1200); 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 or 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.
DAIKU-DO Returning from the Joju-in toward the entrance to the temple, a series of 500 small stone Buddha images surrounded by ferns on a hillside are passed, the images having been placed about an 11-headed Kannon. Further toward the western end of the grounds is the Dai Kodo, the Great Lecture Hall, built in 1978 on the 1,200th anniversary of the founding of the temple. The Taho Kaku (Tower of Treasures) of the Dai Kodo has a wing on either side, and the walls of the base of the tower hold a Buddha’s footprint 13 feet (3.4 m) long while the walls surrounding the footprint have 4,076 images of the four major Buddhas. The 79 foot (24 m) walls about the area have an image of these four Buddhas inscribed on them: Taho Nyorai on the north wall, Shaka Nyorai on the south wall, Yakushi Nyorai on the east wall and 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 Kioymizu-michi which parallels Kiyomizu-zaka one street to the south. Part-way down the hill is the Tojiki Kaikan, the Pottery Hall, where one has yet another chance to purchase Kiyomizu-yaki or other ceramic wares before leaving this center of traditional and contemporary pottery.
4 NISHI OTANI CEMETERY
At the foot of the hill at Higashi-oji-dori to the left lies the entry to the Nishi Otani Cemetery, one of the two oldest cemeteries in Kyoto. The small double bridge over the waterway has been nicknamed the “Spectacles Bridge” (Megan-bashi) since the reflection of its semi-circular arches in the water make for a complete circle and the circles and the structure of the bridge can be perceived as a pair of eye glasses. A cemetery may seem to be an unusual place to visit, but this mortuary for the abbots of the Nishi Hongan-ji Temple and the followers of the Jodo Shinshu sect of the great priest Shinran offers another aspect of Japanese life.
When Shinran died on November 28, 1262, his body was cremated, and eventually in 1694 a portion of his remains were moved from his original burial site to a hexagonal mausoleum at the Nishi Otani cemetery. (A portion of his ashes were 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 double bridge above the waterway leads to the main gate to 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 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 Amidado is a two-story gateway, and beyond it is the Haiden (Oratory) which stands before Shinran’s