Kiyomizu-dera’s wooden veranda projects over a steep hillside, supported by a forest of tall columns. The structure makes the temple’s relationship to the Higashiyama landscape unmistakable, turning a religious hall into a viewing place above Kyoto.
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The main hall’s veranda seems to extend out over the slope, but it is held by a carefully interlocked framework of wooden columns and braces. This is the famous Kiyomizu stage, part of a temple with more than 1,200 years of worship history.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Kiyomizu-dera’s main hall was built in 1633.
- The hall uses kakezukuri construction on a steep slope.
- The temple is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion.
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