The Kiyomizudera temple is one of the most visited and venerated temples in Japan. Commanding the grand panoramic view of the whole Kyoto City, the temple is one of the most spectacular and beautiful religious sites in the world. The temple has been recognized by UNESCO as a place of exceptional cultural heritage and worthy of preservation.

The temple was built after a priest had a vision which told him to look for clear water in the Yodo River. After a long search, he came across a place in the forest where mist like a belt of white clouds hung over the waterfall at the foot of Mt Otowa. It was here that the temple was built.

The viewing platform was constructed back in 798. It has been destructed several times by wars and earthquakes and the platform you will see today was built in 1633. From this platform, people would jump off; with lush foliage to cushion there fall. It is said that if they survived the fall, they would have one wish granted. 234 jumps were recorded in the Edo period and of those 85.4% survived. While Neville did not take the plunge which is now prohibited, he took plenty of photos. Neville loves his photos and was delighted at all the splendid photo opportunities the temple offered. The clear water that gave the temple its name is sourced directly from the waterfall. The water is said to grant health, longevity and success.

A Shinto shrine is found within the temple. For 1300 years, Japanese young people have looked up to and relied on the shrine as the dwelling place of the god of love and matchmaking. The shrine draws people from all over the world who are lured by the promise of ‘splendid love.’

In front of the beautiful main building, there ‘love-fortune-telling’ stones. If a person walks safely from one stone to the other with closed eyes, his or her love will be realized. This fortune-telling practice is very popular among both Japanese and foreigners.

After people are united in marriage, they call on the shrine to offer their thanks and their names are put up a notice board in front of the shrine. We can appreciate how this faith extends even to faraway countries with many foreigners’ names on the board.

Contact

Jishu Shrine
1 Chrome, Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku,
Kyoto Japan
TEL: (075) 541-2097