Kiyomizu-dera, Buddhist temple in Yasugi, Japan.
Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple in Yasugi, Japan, made up of a main hall, a three-story pagoda, and several smaller buildings set across a forested hillside. The structures sit at different elevations and follow the natural shape of the slope rather than flattening the ground beneath them.
The temple was founded in 587, during the Asuka period, making it one of the earliest Buddhist sites in the region. It was damaged during the Battle of Amago-Mori and later rebuilt in the Edo period, restoring its role as a place of worship.
Kiyomizu-dera is the 28th station on the Chugoku Kannon pilgrimage route, and visitors can still take part in sutra copying sessions offered on site. This living practice gives the place a rhythm that sets it apart from temples used mainly for sightseeing.
Sutra copying and meditation sessions are available from April to November, so timing your visit accordingly gives you more to do on site. The paths between buildings involve stone steps and uneven ground, so comfortable footwear is a good idea.
The temple is said to have kept a sacred flame burning without interruption for over 1,400 years, placing it among the oldest continuously tended flames in Japan. This flame is not on public display, but its presence shapes the way the site is maintained and treated by those who care for it.
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