Kiyomizudera ("Pure Water Temple") is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 7 8 0 and remains associated with the Hosso s

ect , one of t he ol dest sect s wi t hi n Japanese Buddhism . In 1 9 9 4 , th e temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites

Kiyomizudera stands in the wooded hills of eastern Kyoto and offers visitors a nice view over the city from its famous wooden terrace. Below the terrace, you can taste the spring water, which gives the temple its name and which is said to have healing power.

Behind Kyomizudera's main hall stands Jishu Shrine, a shr i ne dedicated to the deity of love. In front of the shrine are two rocks, placed several meters apart from each other. Successfully walking from one to the other rock with your eyes closed is said to bring luck in your love live.                  Part of the fun of visiting Kiyomizudera is the approach to the temple along the steep and busy lanes of the atmospheric Higashiyama district. Except early in the morning, do not expect a tranquil, spiritual atmosphere. The many shops, restaurants and ryokan in the area have been catering to tourists and pilgrims for centuries. Products on sale range from local specialties such as Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, sweets and pickles to the standard set of souvenirs.

The famous temple of the

“Ancient city of Japan” : Kyoto

Kiyomizadera temple in each seasons

With white snow in winter that make the temple white.

Green leaves show the summer. Very happy time!

Colorful of the leaves. OH! Very romantic place.

In spring , the season of Sakura or cherry blossom. Very beautiful

place. The pink temple.

There are many shops along the way to go to Yokomisu. The shops sells the souvenir such as the Japanese dolls with Kimono , many sweet , Japanese umbrella and Japanese fans.

At the temple’s entrance , there are Sunjunoto pagoda. Inside , there is the Kannon ( god with eleven faces and 1 ,0 0

0 arms ) Suninoto pagoda

The most famous place of this temple is the building that its balcony was built on the high cliff. It’s made up of wood and 139 pillars. Builder use woods instead of nails.

Yokomizu temple means pure – water temple. There are 3 blessed river that flow from the mountain about 1,000 years. They believe “If who drink the water from

1st river – they will succeed in education

2nd river - they will happy in their affection3rd river - they will healthyThe dipper that use to ladle , it

clean and kill any disease already by UV light

Water flow from Hiyayama Mts.

Yokimisu temple’s historyKiyomizu is an old temple of the Hosso sect of Buddhism, a

relatively small sect that was established--according to legend--in 657 by the monk Dosho from China.   It is said that Kiyomizu-dera (Clear Water Temple ) was founded in 798 by the monk Enchin through the patronage of the warrior Tamuramaro.   Legend states that Enchin dreamt of a golden stream flowing down from this mountain into the Yodogawa River.   When he went to investigate, he found an old man sitting on a log who gave his name as Gyoei.   The old man told Enchin that he had spent the last 200 years reciting invocations to Kannon (a god with eleven faces and 1,000 arms). 

  He wished Enchin to take his place so that he could make a pilgrimage, promising the young man that the log he'd been sitting on would make good material for an image of Kannon.   Enchin waited for a long time but the man did not return.   Hoping to find the old man, Enchin ascended a nearby hill and discovered a pair of shoes lying on the summit.   Enchin suddenly realized that the old man had been none other than Kannon himself--the shoes left behind signaled that the "old man " had returned to heaven.    He hurried back to the log, determined to make it into an image of Kannon as the god himself had suggested.

2 0 years passed , Enchin could not figure out how to shape the log into a proper image. Finally one day the warrior Saka-no-ue Tamuramaro came

through the forest hunting a stag for his pregnant wife (it was believed that stag's blood eased childbirth).  Tamuramaro came upon Enchin in the woods.   Impressed with his devotion, he decided that he would dismantle his own house and reassemble it as a temple beside a nearby waterfall.   With Tamuramaro's backing, Enchin finished the image and took residence in the new temple.

Legend also says that after Tamuramaro's gift, the warrior took part in exp   editions against the indigeonous inhabitants of northern Japan. The Emper

- or rewarded him with the title "Barbarian subduing Generalissimo" for his d   eeds and gave him a fine building at the site of Nagaoka palace. Tamuram

aro also donated this building to the temple.There is no way to test the veracity of the early legends

concerning Kiyomizudera, for the original temple burned a number of times over the centuries.   In one notable conflict--the 15th century Onin War--it actually escaped damage because it remained neutral in the great sectarian feuds that ravaged the city (the Hosso sect was perhaps too small to get involved).

In the late 16th century Toyotomi Hideoshi, the unifier of Japan, spent much time at the temple and left behind a number of objects, many of which remain today.   The temple grew in the early 17th century, only to be savagely ruined by a massive fire that destroyed most of the original buildings.   Damage from the fire was quickly repaired, with most of the reconstructed buildings completed by 1633.   The present buildings generally date from that period, except for a few that escaped the fire on the western side of the temple.

Pakorn Daechavijit M.2/4 No.6