Kiyomizu Temple

Autumn Maple Leaves
of Kiyomizu Temple
Sadanobu III Hasegawa 1881-1963
copyright

The Kiyomizu Temple is located east of Kyoto in southwestern Honshu, the main island of Japan. It is one of the most popular sights in Japan and the most important landmark of the city. Set high above and among lush vegetation, the view from the terrace of the main hall presents an impressive panorama view of Kyoto, the capital and seat of the Japanese imperial court from 794 until 1868.

Name and Legend

Actually the name Kiyomizu-dera identifies multiple Buddhist temples. The first that comes to mind for most Japanese, however, is that of Otowasan Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. The name in Japanese comes from kiyoi mizu, which means clean water and refers to a small waterfall within the area of the temple. The water flows through three thin canals and empties into a pool. Visitors to the temple drink the water, which is supposed to bring renewed strength, health, long life and success.

The history of the temple began in 798 and is tied to a legend. Its founder, the monk Enchin, supposedly dreamt of a golden stream. As he followed his vision he met an old man, who turned out to be the deity Kannon. Enchin found Kannon's shoes on a hill, where he had left them behind before returning to the heavens. Enchin stayed behind with the task of creating an image of the deity. The warrior Saka-no-ue Tamuramaro was passing through during a hunt. And impressed by the incident and Enchin's story, he built a temple and supported Enchin in his task.

The Kiyomizu-dera is a temple of Buddhist Hosso teachings, which came from China in the mid 7th century and defines all things in existence as a form of consciousness. This school of philosophy reached a peak at the end of the first millennium and then gradually merged into other schools of thought. The Hosso-shu does not exist today as its own discrete school of thought.

Construction of the Temple

Kiyomizu-do in the Snow
by Hasui Kawase 1883-1957
copyright Kawase Hasui

Many buildings of various sizes emerged in the area of the Kiyomizu-dera temple throughout history. The current structures date back to 1633. The main hall, which is famous for the hundreds of columns that support its terrace, towers over the complex. During the Edo Period (1603-1867) a tradition developed to hurl oneself from the 13- meter high terrace into the depths below, in order to fulfill all of one's wishes.

Of the 234 documented jumps, 200 actually survived since the thick vegetation cushioned their falls. It is since forbidden to jump. But the expression "to jump from the terrace of Kiyomizu," which means to "bring oneself to a decision" remains to this day.

Architecture and Layout

The area of the temple extends alongside a slope. Next to the main hall are several aligned buildings, for example temples, shrines, halls, pavilions, and gates. On the backside of the site there are also living quarters for the priests. The buildings are reachable through sets of stairs and are largely situated on high stands or foundations. Or they are built to rise from the lush vegetation of the hill.

With its very many architectural elements, rich color, details, expensive decorative forms and attractive views from and through the complex, Kiyomizu Temple offers to this day attractive motifs for artists, especially those of traditional Japanese schools.

Kiyomizu Kannondo Temple in Ueno in Tokyo

There is yet another Kiyomizu Temple to be found in Japan. And it even looks to the one in Kyoto pretty similar. It is the Kiyomizu Kannondo Temple in Ueno Park in Tokyo. It was built in 1631 after the model of the original in Kyoto.

Kiyomizu Temple in Japanese Color Woodcuts

Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto
by Hasui Kawase 1883-1957
copyright Hasui Kawase

The Kiyomizu Temple is a common motif in Japanese color woodcuts from the 19th and particularly the 20th century. If one searches for kiyomizu in the artelino archive of prints, one finds the following artists:

Benji Asada 1899-1984
Buntou Hayashi 1882-1966
Chikanobu Toyohara 1838-1912
Clifton Karhu 1927-2007
Eiichi Kotozuka 1906-1979
Hasui Kawase 1883-1957
Hideaki Kato born 1954
Hiroshige Ando 1797-1858
Hiroshige II Utagawa 1829-1869
Kenji Kawai 1908-1995
Koichi Okumura 1904-1974
Koitsu Tsuchiya 1870-1949
Kyosai Kawanabe 1831-1889
Insho Domoto 1891-1975
Masaharu Aoyama 1893-1969
Masao Ido born 1945
Nisaburo Ito 1910-1988
Sadanobu Hasegawa 1809-1879
Sadanobu III Hasegawa 1881-1963
Seiji Aoyama 1893-1969
Soukou Hongho 1933-1991
Suizan Miki 1887-1957
Teruhide Kato born 1936
Tomikichiro Tokuriki 1902-1999
Yoshitoshi Taiso 1839-1892
Yuhan Ito active 1930s

Gallery of Kiyomizu Temple Woodblock Prints

Kiyomizu Temple in Evening Glow
by Masao Ido born 1945
copyright Masao Ido

Spring Snow at KiyomizuTemple
by Hasui Kawase 1883-1957
copyright Hasui Kawase

Evening Snowfall at Kiyomizu Temple
by Hasui Kawase 1883-1957
copyright Hasui Kawase

Autumn Colors at Kiyomizu Temple
by Teruhide Kato born 1936
copyright Teruhide Kato

Misty Moon at Kiyomizu Temple
by Benji Asada 1899-1984
copyright Benji Asada

Tea Shop at Kiyomizu
by Koitsu Tsuchiya 1870-1949
copyright Koitsu Tsuchiya

Princess Sakura jumps from Kiyomizu Temple
by Chikanobu Toyohara 1838-1912
copyright protected

Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto
by Hiroshige II Utagawa 1829-1869
copyright protected

Ueno Kiyomizu-do, Shinobazu Ike
by Hiroshige Ando 1797-1858
copyright protected

Kiyomizu Temple
by Yuhan Ito active 1930s
copyright protected

Kiyomizu in a Spring Night
by Suizan Miki 1887-1957
copyright protected

Kiyomizu Temple
by Clifton Karhu 1927-2007
copyright Clifton Karhu

Famous, Sacred and Historical Places
by Tomikichiro Tokuriki 1902-1999
copyright Tomikichiro Tokuriki

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