He gave Enchin a log of sacred wood and instructed him to carve the log into an image of Kannon, the Bodhisattva 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 since ascended from the mountain crest. Enchin carved the image of the Eleven-faced Kannon (Juichimen Senju Sengen Kannon), and created a small, crude temple building to house the image—the beginning of the Kiyomizudera.
Kannon was obviously pleased by Enchin's act, and soon another miraculous event occurred. Sakenoue-no-Tamuramaro, the emperor's leading general, went deer hunting 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 creatures is forbidden. The warrior, according to tradition, repented of his action and, as an act of contrition, had his house disassembled and given to Enchin for a proper temple building in which to house his sacred Kannon image.
Enchin's good fortune did not stop there. In 794 the emperor had his palace buildings at his capital of Nagaoka (now a Kyoto suburb) disassembled prior to the move to his new capital at Kyoto. Deciding to erect an entirely new structure, he gave his Shishin-den (Throne Hall) 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 hinoki (cypress) bark roof instead of the traditional tiled roof, in remembrance of its original condition as a portion of the emperor's palace.
At the head of Kiyomizu-zaka, Kiyomizu-dera 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-todome 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 twentieth-century solar clock.
Nio-mon To the right of the Uma-todome are steps which lead to the two-story Nio-mon (Gate of the Deva Kings) 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 possible entry of evil forces. Alone of the many temple structures, this gateway escaped destruction in the 1478 conflagration. The twelve-foot-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 "UN" sound: the two sounds, being the alpha and omega of Buddhist lore, symbolize the all-inclusiveness of Buddhist teachings.
Sai-mon A second flight of steps leads up to the Sai-mon (West Gateway), another two-story gate whose large cypress-bark roof is held up by eight pillars. The elaborately carved gateway reflects the grandiose architectural taste of the Momoyama period 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) is to the left of the Sai-mon, and although the tower dates from 1596, its bell was cast in 1478.
Sanju-no-to The Sanju-no-to, the three-storied pagoda of 1633, rises behind the Sai-mon to the east. It is the tallest three-story pagoda in Japan. In 1987 the pagoda was repainted in the traditional vermilion 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 with the brilliant vermilion color which reflected the grandeur of their Chinese heritage.
Kyodo A series of small temple buildings follow, buildings that usually are not open to the public. The first one, beyond the pagoda, is the Kyodo (Sutra Library) which holds the sacred Buddhist texts. The building is large enough to serve as a lecture hall for the monks as well, 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. The ceiling of the Kyodo is decorated with the painting of a coiled dragon. Behind it is the jishin-in (Temple of Mercy) which is said to have been the favorite place of worship in the late 1500s for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the military and civil ruler of Japan, and some of his belongings are still retained within.
Kaisan-do Next beyond the Kyodo is the Kaisan-do (Founder's Hall), which is also known as the Tamura-do in honor of the general who donated the Hondo (Main Hall) to Priest Enchin back in the 700s. The Kaisan-do holds four multicolored images: that of Gyo-ei, the hermit who was practicing austerities on the mountainside when Priest Enchin first appeared here; of Priest Enchin; of Tamuramaro; and of his wife Takako. These finely colored images, each 2.5 feet tall, are seated on multicolored platforms.
Todoroki-mon Next, one comes to the Todoroki-mon or Chumon (Middle Gate). Temples have traditionally had a main gateway and tiien a middle gate before one arived at the Hondo. This 1633 middle gate was given the name Todoroki-mon, "Gate Resounding to the Call of the Buddha's Teachings," due to the fact that the chants of the priests should resound to the benefit of all believers. The gate has two more Deva Kings who serve as protectors of the innermost areas of Kiyomizu-dera.
Benten-jima In the distance to the left is the Benten-jima (Benten Island). A small pond has in its center a tiny island 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 who first were accepted in the early seventh century.
Asakura-do To the left, beyond the Todoroki-mon is the Asakurado, a 1633 replacement for the original building (later destroyed by fire) which was a gift of Asakura Sadakaga (1473-1512), a son of the emperor Temmu. It has an Eleven-faced Kannon with an image of Bishamon-ten (god of wealth) and Jizo (guardian deity of children) on either side. Ahead to the east is a stone with the traditional impress of the Buddha's feet and 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 bothisattvas. (A bodhisattva is an individual who can achieve nirvana but who chooses instead to remain active in this world in order 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 that 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 do 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 upon 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