KIYOMIZUDERA temple guide: Deities, stage, renovation, mainhall, must-sees 清水寺につき英語で説明

Tiger in the lantern 虎の石燈篭

お福さん

The Seven Wonder #3

This is a lantern. Put a candle stick in the hole. On the surface, a tiger is engraved. It sees us in any angles. It is said it visits a pond to drink water every night.

Syo Roh 鐘楼

お福さん

The Seven Wonder #4

Sho Roh is a place for Bell. As previously described, the bell was brought here Kiyomizudera in 1479. The Sho Roh has 6 pillars though usually Sho Roh has only 4 pillars. This due to the weight of the bell. The Sho Roh and the bell escapet the fire in 1629.

七里ヶ浜親方

The bell was made in 1478 and in use in 2008. People bring it from a place located near Kyoto Imperial Palace to Kiyomizudera.

シカさん

The one we can see today was donated by Kiyomizudera Monzen Kai.

Zuigu Doh temple 隋求堂

Zuigu Doh enshrines Dai Zuigu Bosatsu (大隋求菩薩) and Bisyamon Ten (毘沙門天立) and Kissho Ten (吉祥天立) as Wakijis. Dai Zuigu Bosatsu gives us many Goriyauku and the most famous one Enmusubi (A good partner for love seeker) and Hufu Wago (Good partnership for a couple).

シカさん

It is said Zusigu Doh temple gave birth to Omamori amulet. In Edo period, the monk gave a piece of paper a Sutra is written. People started to have the piece as amulet.

At Zuigudo, we can experience “Tainai Meguri (Going back to the womb).” In Tainai Meguri, we descend the stairs and get into the ground floor of the temple. We are in complete darkness.  On the wall, there is a rope with small balls that works as handrail.  We go back to the womb with help of umbilical cord. In the middle of the darkness, we find a stone lit by the dim light. On the stone, a Siddham script letter is engraved.

It stands for the Deity enshrined in Zuigudo. We touch it and pray for our wish. After that, we go back to the world and find ourselves reborn.

Kagekiyo Tsumegata Kannon 景清爪形観音

Inside of this, there is an engraved Kannon. It is believed that Taira no Kagekiyo, the famous worrier of the Heike clan, engraved it with his nail.