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,