Kiyomizudera Temple is one of Kyoto’s most famous temples (寺, Tera), due to its iconic architecture where the entire main temple building sits atop a wooden stage that props it up into the air like stilts. Said to be founded in 780, Kiyomizudera was named after the Otowa Falls whose site the temple was built on.
The temple’s current buildings were built in 1633, with the main hall atop a complex system of interlocking wooden joints that consist of 168 wooden pillars, over 400 floorboards, 13 meters off the ground, and all built without a single nail. The main hall houses the temple’s main object of worship, a statue of an eleven faced and thousand armed Kannon (観音), the Goddess of Mercy.
The temple periodically opens for special night viewings in Spring (late March/early April), Summer (mid August), and Autumn (late November). Check the official site for the latest details.
