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Walking Tour 1

KIYOMIZU AREA

Ancient Lanes to Kiyomizu Temple

1 Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka 二年坂/三年坂

2 Kiyomizu-zaka 清水坂

3 Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺

4 Nishi Otani Cemetery 大谷本廟（西大谷)

In the years since World War II, Kyoto has changed greatly. The city of one-story traditional houses has seen modern buildings of extraordinary height rise in its midst. Travelers often come to Kyoto looking for a traditional Japanese city of low buildings and architecture of past centuries. In stead, they are amazed by the modern steel, glass and brick structures they find. Kyoto, as with every other city in the world, continues to grow and to change, for it cannot remain a museum frozen in time. Yet there is strong concern in Kyoto about the continuing danger to the city’s historic nature and architectural heritage. There are ongoing attempts to preserve the best of the past in its temples and shrines as well as in its traditional housing. This initial walk therefore takes place in an area which has been designated as an historic section worthy of preservation, and it ends at one of the most venerable of Kyoto’s temples, Kiyomizu-dera (Clear Water Temple). This walk accordingly offers a partial glimpse of the city as it existed prior to the modernization of Japan in the 20th century.

Ninen-zaka, a pedestrian street lined with traditional shops and restaurants leading to Kiyomizu-dera.

1 NINEN-ZAKA AND SANNEN-ZAKA

One could walk straight up sloping Kiyomizuzaka from the bus stop to the temple, but a deviation two streets to the north along Higa shi-oji-dori (the main north–south street) offers a worthwhile diversion. Two streets to the north, turn to the right on to Kodai Minami Monzen-dori. At the second street on the right, turn again to the right and climb up the steps to Ninen-zaka (Two Year Slope) to begin a walk into the past. This offers a picture of the city of Kyoto as it once was. Fires have destroyed so much of old Kyoto through the centuries that it is unusual to find an area that still provides the appearance of a Japanese city before the modern age. Fortunately, Ninen-zaka and Sannenzaka (Three Year Slope) offer just such a remembrance of times past. Concerned over the disappearance of the two-story shops and homes which were typical of Kyoto city life, the city government has created a few “historic preservation districts” in areas which have remained comparatively unchanged. One such area encompasses Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka.

For centuries pilgrims labored up Ninenzaka and Sannen-zaka on their way to Kiyomizu Temple. (The strange names for the two streets have their basis in a superstition: to stumble on Ninen-zaka brought two years of misfortune, while a fall on Sannen-zaka could result in three years of bad luck.) Here, on these streets, the pilgrims found small restaurants which offered food, inns which provided a place to sleep and shops which sold the Kiyomiza-yaki and the Awata-yaki (yaki means “pottery”) as souvenirs of a visit to the temple, pottery which was made in the stepped noborigama kilns that were formerly ubiquitous on this hillside. Pilgrims still climb these slopes, as do thousands of tourists. The narrow two-story wood and plaster row houses one finds along the way once covered all of Kyoto, and although frequently destroyed by fire, they were always rebuilt in the traditional architectural style with the shop at the front and the family living quarters behind the sales area. Normally only 26 feet (7.9 m) wide, the buildings often extended as much as 131 feet (39.9 m) to the rear. Some of them were two-story structures that had narrow slatted windows at the front of the second floor. Since it was forbidden for commoners to look down upon passing samurai (warrior class) or daimyo (feudal lords), the narrow, slatted windows could help to hide the faces and eyes of curious merchant families if they dared to peer in forbidden fashion on their superiors passing beneath them. The great fire of 1864 destroyed 80 percent of Kyoto, and thus these buildings represent the latest rebuilding of the traditional cityscape prior to modern times.

Today’s shops, with perhaps one or two exceptions, have modern storefronts and interiors. In the past, the shop consisted of a raised platform on which the merchant sat and perhaps even created the wares he sold. The would-be purchaser was always welcomed with a cup of tea so that a proper mood could be established before the merchant’s wares were brought forth and displayed in front of the purchaser. Modern life seldom allows for such niceties, and thus the present shops are more oriented toward a contemporary display of chinaware or whatever is currently desired by the public. Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka are lined with old buildings which still serve as purveyors to the pilgrim and the tourist, although one must admit that tourists seem to be the main clients to whom the shopkeepers now appeal. But then, weren’t pilgrims of past centuries souvenir seekers as well? For sale here are small Buddhas, iron lanterns, scarves—all the paraphernalia of an ephemeral trade which the visitor cannot resist. A few restaurants tempt the hungry with the variety of noodles such Japanese establishments offer, and, of course, the soft drinks of the modern age. One enterprising shopkeeper on Ninen-zaka even has a rickshaw in which one can be photographed or even trans ported, the latter, naturally, for an appropriate fee. A few rickshaws do still exist, but their day is past, and those which remain appear primarily at times of festivals.

2 KIYOMIZU-ZAKA

Ninen-zaka bends gracefully, as a proper traditional Japanese street should, and ends in a short staircase which leads into Sannenzaka. In turn, Sannen-zaka also ends in a steeper set of steps which lead up to Kiyomizu-zaka (Clear Water Slope). As has been the case for the past several centuries, pottery can be found for sale along both Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka, but you will not encounter the full panoply of chinaware until you climb the steps at the southern end of Sannen-zaka and enter Kiyomizu-zaka, which leads uphill from Higashi-oji-dori to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple at the top of the street. In the last century, English-speaking visitors nicknamed Kiyomizu-zaka “Teapot Lane,” a name it still deserves. Here you can find shops which sell Kiyomizu-yaki (Kiyo mizu pottery) and other chinaware. Souvenir shops line the street cheek by jowl. The street is always crowded with visitors heading to the temple, many in groups led by their banner-waving leader. It is always a street full of excitement and color during the daytime.

Traditional Kiyomizu-yaki pottery is sold in shops along Kiyomizu-zaka.

The making of porcelain was a craft and an art which began to flourish in Kyoto as a result of the incursions into Korea in 1592 and 1597 by Japanese troops under the command of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the then civil and military ruler of Japan. The Koreans had learned the craft from the Chinese, and such products were appropriately summed up in one word in English-speaking countries as “chinaware.” Among the prizes of war brought back to Japan in the 1590s were Korean ceramic craftsmen and artists, and a fascination with their work led in time to the development of fine Japanese porcelains. The cult of tea, which developed under Sen-no-Rikyu, with the patronage of Hideyoshi, in the late 1500s, also encouraged the development 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 Law” imprinted on the heel. Custom decrees that by looking on such a memorial footprint one is forgiven of all one’s sins. In the early years of Buddhism in India, images were not created of the Buddha and Bodhisattva. (A Bodhisattva is an individual who can achieve Nirvana but who chooses instead to remain active in this world to assist others toward the state of Nirvana. Thus a Bodhisattva serves as a living mediator between humans and ultimate reality.) In time, the influence of Hindu and Greek representations of their deities caused Buddhism to personify its sacred beings in human form. In the earliest centuries, however, before such iconography developed, the representation of the Buddha’s footprints sufficed as reminders of the Way of the Buddha’s Law.

One of the effects which the native religion of Shinto had upon Buddhism was the physical concern for purity at holy places and the need for individual purification before approaching the gods. Thus Buddhist temples, as with Shinto shrines, always have a water basin with a running fountain where one can purify one’s hands (of deeds and actions) and one’s mouth (of thoughts or spirit) before entering sacred ground. The Kiyomizu-dera fountain has been created in the form of a delightfully ferocious looking dragon which spews forth clear water instead of the traditional breath of flame. The basin which receives the dragon’s stream is known as the “Owl Washing Basin” from the owl motif on the foundation stone beneath the basin.

Faith, myth and legend have a delightful way of becoming intertwined in all cultures, and Japan is no exception. The Japanese have always been attracted to tragic heroes as well as to their devoted followers, and none are better known to the people than Minamotono-Yoshitsune and Benkei, Yoshitsune’s faithful companion in arms. In the late 1100s, Benkei was a monk of an unusual combative nature. Much given to uproarious conduct, he was a lover of duels, and he once vain-gloriously swore to fight and to defeat 1,000 warriors and deprive them of their swords. Having conquered 999 such unfortunates, he chanced upon an armed 16-year-old boy, Yoshitsune, crossing the Gojo (Fourth Street) Bridge at the Kamo-gawa River below the Kiyomizu-dera. He challenged this easy mark, not knowing that the lad had been taught the art of swordsmanship by a tengu, a long-nosed goblin learned in the arts of war. Since he wished to be fair to the young man, Benkei weighed himself down with iron geta (sandals) and a cumbersome sword. To his amazement, he was defeated by the youth. As a result, he pledged to become Yoshitsune’s devoted companion, and thereafter he accompanied the handsome, courageous and able Yoshitsune in his many victorious battles and to his inevitable tragic end.

The Hondo of Kiyomizu-dera, built into the side of Mount Higashiyama, towers over the valley below.

Benkei is remembered at the Kiyomizudera through the representations of his oversized geta and staff that stand just before the Hondo (Main Hall) of the temple. (The items are oversized since Benkei is said to have been almost 8 feet/2.4 m tall.) In the latter quarter of the 19th century, a blind blacksmith regained his sight after repeated prayers at the Kiyomizu-dera, and thus he created these versions in iron of Benkei’s geta and staff as a thanksgiving offering to the temple for the return of his vision.

Another reminder of this legendary monk and his failure to win his 1,000th sword can be found at the Gojo (Fifth Street) Bridge at the Kamo River below the Kiyomizu-dera. A modern statue of Benkei has been placed at the western end of the bridge in a park in midtraffic. Here, Benkei stands (in miniature), sword in hand, ready to take on all comers as they cross the Kamo-gawa River. He stands unchallenged today, no doubt because of the heavy traffic which creates a barrier no modern Kyoto pedestrian would ever defy.

HONDO The Hondo (Main Hall) [11] is the main attraction of Kiyomizu-dera, and it looms grandly beyond the Asakuro-do and the purification fountain. Its original structure before the 1629 fire was the Shishinden or Throne Hall of the Emperor Kammu, which was donated by Tamuramaro. The 190 foot (58 m) long by 88 foot (26.8 m) deep building of seven bays stands on the side of Mount Higashiyama and is supported by 139 pillars some 49 feet (15 m) tall, 59 feet (18 m) apart. Its huge hipped ridge roof, covered in hinoki (cypress) bark, rises 53 feet (16 m) high and is skirted with moikoshi (smaller and lower false roofs) on its east, west and north sides. These extra roofs provide covered open “corridors” on these three sides.

The Hondo’s front (southern) veranda juts out by 25 feet (7.6 m) over the valley below, forming the large Butai (Dancing Stage) flanked by two wings, the roofed Gekuya (Orchestra). These two units are so-named since religious music and dance took place on this veranda. A fine view over a portion of the city of Kyoto and to the south can be obtained from the platform which sits in splendor high above the valley below the temple.

The interior of the Hondo has an Outer Sanctuary (Ge-jin) and an Inner Sanctuary (Nai-jin). The Outer Sanctuary is striking in its simplicity with its plain, massive unfinished columns and unfinished floor. Some 30 wooden tablets or paintings are hung high up on the walls, and they thus enrich the simple structure. These are votive gifts of tradesmen at the time of the 1633 rebuilding of the temple after its last disastrous fire. Among the most noted of these gifts are the four paintings of ships, three commissioned by the merchant-trading family of the Sumeyoshi and one by the Suminokura family, all from 1633–4. The Suminokura gift is particularly interesting since it shows a festival in rich colors on board a ship, and represented among its figures are European sailors and an African servant or slave. The painting stands 8.8 feet (2.6 m) tall by 11.8 feet (3.6 m) wide.

By contrast to the simplicity of the Outer Sanctuary, the Inner Sanctuary of the Hondo is of great splendor. At the center of the Naijin is a sunken stone-floored Innermost Sanctuary (Nai-nai-jin) where the sacred, hidden image is kept. The major gold leaf-covered images on public view stand behind vermilion wooden railings on a raised black lacquer platform, gold decorations hanging from the roof of the unit.

The primary image of the Hondo is the 1 1-headed 1,000-armed Kannon (Juichimen Senju Kannon), said to have been carved by Enchin in the 700s. It is a hibutsu, a hidden image, kept in a case, which is only brought forth every 33 years, its last appearance being in 2010. (The number 33 has religious significance since Kannon is said to have taken 33 vows to save mankind.) This 5 foot (1.5 m) image is unique in that two of its arms extend over its head, with the hands almost touching each other and seemingly supporting a tiny Buddha image at the apex. Each of the Kannon’s 1,000 hands holds a different religious symbol.

To the right and left of the Kannon case are the Nijuhachibu-shu, the 28 supernatural followers of Kannon, each approximately 4.8 feet (1.4 m) tall. At each corner of the black lacquer platform stand the Shitenno, the Four Deva Kings, protecting all the images from evil. In a shrine at the east end is the carved image of Bishamon-ten while at the west end is the Jizo image; these and the Kannon are said to have been carved by Priest Enchin. Pictures of these three images hang at the end of the inner shrine so they can be seen even when their cases are closed.

NISHI-MUKI JIZO On leaving the Hondo and walking toward the hillside, the grand stairway leading down to the Otowa Waterfall should be bypassed at this time in order to visit the four small buildings which close the temple grounds on the east. The first of these is the minor “Westward Facing Jizo Shrine” (Nishi-muki Jizo) dedicated to the Bodhisattva who protects children, travelers and the dead. To the right of Jizo Shrine is the Shaka-do (Shaka Hall) [12] with a thatched roof. Within is a 3 foot (1 m) tall smiling image of the Shaka Buddha seated on a golden lotus flower. A nimbus appears behind his head. A magnificent lace-like aureole behind the full image is enriched with flying angels (apsara) with musical instruments. On either side of the Shaka stand a 13 inch (33 cm) tall Fugen and a Monju, the Buddhist deities of virtue and wisdom. Between the Shaka-do and its neighboring Amida-do to the right are some 180 small Jizo images under an open, roofed structure known as “The Hall of One Hundred Jizo” (Hyakutai Jizo). One folk tale holds that bereaved parents can view these images, and, if they find one which resembles their dead child, they can rest assured that the child is at peace.

AMIDA-DO The Amida-do [13] to the south of the Shaka-do has the traditional tiled roof of Buddhist temples. The building is divided into three sections: the first portion holds many ihai, memorial tablets to the dead; the middle section holds the Amida Nyorai image which is 6.3 feet (1.9 m) tall, its hands arranged in the mudra (the symbolic position of the hands) indicating contemplation. Amida is the Buddha of the Western Paradise, and the golden aureole behind his image has the traditional 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 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 with a pebble finish is a columbarium 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 tombs, in an area not open to the public, are the graves of the abbots of the Nishi Hongan-ji Temple. Old trees about the area lend a dignity and serenity to the site.

GETTING THERE

Bus 18, 100, 206 or 207 can be taken from various points in Kyoto (including bus 100 or 206 from Kyoto Station) to Higashi-oji-dori and the Kiyomizu-michi bus stop, which lies between Gojo-dori (Fifth Street) and Shijodori (Fourth Street). On leaving the Nishi Otani Cemetery, you are back at Higashioji-dori. Here, the same buses or a taxi can be taken to your next destination within the city.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. although a number of the buildings within are closed after 4:00 p.m. There is an entry fee at the entrance to the main portion of the complex during the hours that all of the buildings are open. Many charming restaurants and shops can be found along Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka.