Kiyomizu-dera Temple

In front of you is the Niōmon, the guardian gate of Kiyomizu-dera, built in the Muromachi period. Beyond it, hanging over the hillside, is the main hall with its famous wooden stage.

1A temple of pure water

According to tradition, the temple was founded in 778, when the monk Enchin found a waterfall here. The general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro became its great patron. Kiyomizu means “pure water”, and the Otowa waterfall, with its three streams, still flows at the foot of the hall. The present building was rebuilt in 1633 with funds from the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu and is a National Treasure.

2Jumping off the stage

The terrace, the “stage” of Kiyomizu, stands about thirteen metres above the drop. In Japanese, “to jump off the stage of Kiyomizu” means to take a bold plunge. It is not just a metaphor: the diary of the Jōjū-in, one of the sub-temples, records 234 jumps during the Edo period, and around 85% of the jumpers survived. People believed that if you entrusted yourself to Kannon and jumped, your wish would come true; and that if you died, you would go to paradise. In 1872 the authorities banned the practice.

The jumps are documented; the idea that Kannon granted the survivors’ wishes was a popular belief.

3What to look for

• The two guardians of the Niōmon, one with an open mouth and the other with a closed one.
• The three-storey pagoda, to the right of the gate.
• The wooden pillars holding up the stage, visible from below.