Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Kiyomizu-dera (Pure Water Temple) is a Buddhist temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, founded according to tradition in 778 AD when a monk received a divine vision at the site of a waterfall on the Otowa Mountain. The present main hall was constructed in 1633 under the patronage of shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, built without a single nail using an interlocking wooden framework technique. The main hall's veranda (butai) — famous as the origin of the Japanese expression 'to jump off the Kiyomizu stage' (meaning to commit to a bold decision) — extends 13 meters out from the hillside on a framework of 139 zelkova posts, 12 meters above the valley floor below. From the veranda, the view across Kyoto city is framed by seasonal cherry blossoms in spring and maple foliage in autumn. The temple's most active religious feature is the Otowa Waterfall at the base of the main hall, where three separate streams of water are channeled into troughs. Visitors drink from the streams using long-handled cups; the three streams are said to confer longevity, success in studies, and luck in love respectively — drinking from all three is considered greedy in tradition. Jishu Shrine (currently under restoration), adjacent to the main hall, is dedicated to the deity of love and matchmaking. The approach to the temple from the Gojo-zaka and Kiyomizu-zaka slopes is a commercial street of shops selling Kyoto pottery (Kiyomizu-yaki), sweets, fans, and lacquerware. Special night illumination events operate during cherry blossom and autumn seasons.