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Kiyomizu Temple |
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Kiyomizu Temple, ‘Temple of the clean water’, is perhaps the most loved one in Japan. It has such a spectuclar setting, being situated in the mountain forrest and a part of the temple sitting on huge massive wooden pillars.
The way up to Kiyomizu Temple, Kiyomizu-zaka,
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is already very interesting as it is lined with lots of small shops, selling local food/craft specialties and souvenirs.
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The temple buildings that can be seen today were constructed in 1633, astonishingly, without using a single iron nail. Actually, already before the foundation of the city of Kyoto (8th century), a temple was supposed to have been erected at the same location.
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Probably at that time, it was the ideal place for a spiritual life in the wild nature.
The temple’s main entrance is the Nio-Mon, an orange painted gate, one of the nicest of its kind. Further interesting buildings are the bell tower and the main building, home to
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several religious statues.
Behind the temple, there is also a shrine called Jishu-jinja. This shrine is supposed to bring luck for relationships between men and women. Anyone, who is able to walk on a straight line between two stones on the ground with closed eyes, is supposed to be able to fulfill his/her love dreams...
Kiyomizu Temple, being very popular, is always very crowded with tourists. As it opens at 6 am, this would be the ideal time to get a good impression including watching the fog over Kyoto being evaporated by the sun.
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