 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (January 2008) |
| Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺 |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| The main building and its stage. The building is a national treasure | |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Independent (Kitahossō) |
| Founded | 798 |
| Address | 1-294 Kiyomizu Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto |
| Country | Japan |
| Website | homepage |
Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺), known more fully as Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera (音羽山清水寺) is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site.[1] (It should not be confused with Kiyomizu-dera in Yasugi, Shimane, which is part of the 33-temple route of the Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage through western Japan.[2])
Contents |
Origin and history
Kiyomizu-dera was founded in the early Heian period.[3] The temple dates back to 798, and its present buildings were constructed in 1633, during a restoration ordered by the Tokugawa Iemitsu.[4] Not one nail is used in the whole temple. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means clear water, or pure water.[5][6]
It was originally affiliated with the old and influential Hossō sect dating from Nara times.[7] However, in 1965 it severed that affiliation, and its present custodians call themselves members of the "Kitahossō" sect.[8]
Present
The main hall has a large veranda, supported by tall pillars, that juts out over the hillside and offers impressive 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.[9]
The popular 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 were to survive a 13m jump from the stage, one's wish would be granted. Two hundred thirty-four jumps were recorded in the Edo period and, of those, 85.4% survived.[6] The practice is now prohibited.[6]
Beneath the main hall is the Otowa waterfall, where three channels of water fall into a pond. Visitors can catch and drink the waters, which is believed to have therapeutic properties. Drinking the water of the three streams is said to confer wisdom, health, and longevity.[6] However, some Japanese believe that you must choose only two; if you are greedy and drink from all three, you invite misfortune upon yourself.
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 18 meters apart, 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 love, or true love. One can be assisted in the crossing, but this is taken to mean that a go-between will be needed. The person's romantic interest can assist them as well.
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 to throngs of visitors.[10]
In 2007, Kiyomizu-dera was one of 21 finalists for the New Seven Wonders of the World.[11] However, it was not picked as one of the seven winning sites.
Images
 Kiyomizu-dera in cherry blossom season |
 The veranda of Kiyomizu-dera |
 A deva gate |
 Rear view of pagoda and adjacent building |
 Statuettes of Ksitigarbha (or Jizou) en masse |
 Otowa-no-taki, the waterfall where visitors drink for health, longevity, and success in studies |
 One of the two lovestones |
|
 Sueyoshi red seal ship in 1633, with foreign pilots and sailors. A Kiyomizu-dera "Ema" (絵馬) painting. |
 Evening silhouette of three-story pagoda |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kiyomizu-dera |
See also
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)
- List of Buddhist temples in Kyoto
- List of National Treasures of Japan (temples)
- The Glossary of Japanese Buddhism for an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture
- The New Seven Wonders - Wikipedia's list of the other finalists can be found here.
Notes
- ^ "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)". http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/688/multiple=1&unique_number=814. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
- ^ "Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage". http://tripatlas.com/Chūgoku_33_Kannon_Pilgrimage#List%20of%20Temples%20with%20Kannon. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ Ponsonby-Fane (1956), p. 111.
- ^ Graham (2007), p. 37
- ^ a b "Kiyomizu Temple". 2007-04-07. http://www.pacificfriend.ca/html/kiyomizu_temple.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ a b c d e "Kiyomizudera, Kyoto". http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/kyoto-kiyomizudera.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ Graham (2007), p. 32
- ^ MKOK
- ^ Graham 2007, p. 80
- ^ "Kiyomizu-dera Temple". http://www.kyoto.travel/place_to_go/kiyomizudera_temple.html. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
- ^ "The Finalists for The Official New 7 Wonders of the World". http://www.new7wonders.com/classic/en/n7w/finalists/. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
References
- 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.
External links
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
