Nio-mon | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 2 (2/6): KIYOMIZU DERA (清水寺), Kyoto (京都), Japan, 2016.12.04

The Kiyomizu-dera in early morning offered quite a big contrast compared to our previous night visit. Tranquility replaced commotion of excited crowds. Soft sunlight took over artificial floodlights. After entering the Nio-men Gate (仁王門), we walked up to the main temple platform along with several local visitors. To avoid the tourist crowds coming in an hour or so, we first made our way to the Hondo (本堂), or the Main Hall. At the entrance of the wooden Kiyomizu Stage (清水の舞台), we tried lifting the displayed Steel Geta and Steel Shakujou, two Buddhist objects dedicated to Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶), a 12th century warrior monk who was famous for his loyalty and strength. We could lift up the lighter Shakujou (12 kg/26 lbs), but definitely not the heavy Geta (90 kg/ 198 lbs). We wandered on the wooden stage for a while, and went over to the deck of Okunoin Hall for an overview of the Main Hall, the colourful autumn maples and the distant skyline of Kyoto.

A flight of stone steps adjacent to the Main Hall led us to the popular Jishu Shrine (地主神社), a Shinto shrine dedicated to Okuninushi no Mikoto (大国主命), a deity of love and matchmaking. Perched above the thatched roof of the Main Hall, the Jishu Shrine is consisted of a cluster of small shrines around a main shrine. The shrine is popular for lonely hearts who are seeking for real love, as well as couples who are praying for consolidation of their relationships. At the forecourt of Jishu, two rocks stand 18m apart from each other. Legend said that if one can walk from one rock to the other with their eyes shut, then their wishes for love would come true. Names of donors from all over Japan and foreign countries are displayed inside and outside the shrine, indicating just how universal a simple wish for love is. Apart from love, visitors also come to pray for good fortunate and safety for their family, and smooth delivery for their babies.

As we descended back to the Main Hall, the sun had finally moved above the mountain and shined on the temple buildings. We made a detour to the temple forecourt for a few more pictures of the buildings under the morning sun. We then walked south towards the small Koyasu-no-to Pagoda, or Easy Child-birth Pagoda, at the far end of the valley. Standing right by the Koyasu-no-to Pagoda and looked across the valley, we had a great view of the Kiyomizu-dera as the shadow of eastern mountains gradually receded. We continued down the valley path to the base of Kiyomizu Stage, where we encountered multiple groups of school students who came for a school trip with their teachers and tour guides. A large group of the school students gathered at the Otowa Waterfall, waiting for their turn to taste the sacred water from one of the three waterfall streams. Given the super long queue, we gave up the idea of trying it ourselves. After a night stroll and an early morning visit, we truly enjoyed Kiyomizu-dera with its magnificent timber architecture, spiritual atmosphere, natural setting, and views of the city. It was time for us to move on to other places in Higashiyama and Gion before the afternoon rain arrived.

We entered the temple from the main gate of Nio-men (仁王門) and walked up to the main temple platform.

Visitors tried to lift the Steel Geta (90 kg/ 198 lbs) and Steel Shakujou (12 kg/ 26 lbs) at the entrance of Kiyomizu Stage.

The Main Hall and Stage of Kiyomizu-dera would soon be covered in scaffolding for a major renovation.

The crimson maples in front of the Kiyomizu Stage offered a poetic sense of autumn.

There were only several local visitors around, allowing us to enjoy the temple peacefully.

It was well past the peak moment but the autumn foliage was still a major enhancement to our visit of Kiyomizu-dera.

Out the wooden balustrade, we could see the small Koyasu-no-to Pagoda at the far end of the valley.

Autumn colours at the valley below Kiyomizu Stage.

The Main Hall and Kiyomizu Stage as seen from the deck of Okunoin Hall.

Close up of the structure of Kiyomizu Stage and the valley path.

The stair that led us up to the Jishu Shrine, a sacred place for worshipers seeking for fortune of love.

One of the two love stones in the forecourt of Jishu Shrine.

The main shrine of Jishu Shrine was covered with names of donors.

One of the several small shrines at Jishu Shrine where worshipers can make a variety of prayers and wishes, from good fortune to smooth childbirth.

Okuninushi no Mikoto, the deity of love and matchmaking, and his messager the rabbit.

Kyodo, the Sutra Hall and Sanjunoto, the Three-storey Pagoda under the morning sun.

The morning warmed up as the shadow of the eastern mountains receded from the autumn maples below Kiyomizu Stage.

Not until we reached the far end of the valley that we realized the Koyasu-no-to Pagoda, or Easy Child-birth Pagoda, was actually quite small.

Overview of Kiyomizu-dera as seen from Koyasu-no-to Pagoda.

The valley path below Kiyomizu Stage was packed with school groups.

Many students were interested for a sip of the sacred water at the Otowa Waterfall.

It was already 9:30am when we left Kiyomizu-dera.

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January 15, 2017 | Categories: Japan, Japan: Kyoto and Nara 2016, Kyoto and Nara | Tags: autumn, Benkei, Buddhism, Buddhist, fall, foliage, geta, Higashiyama, Hondo, Japan, Jishi, Jishu, Kiyomizu dera, Koyasu-no-to, Kyoto, love, maples, Mikoto, Nio-mon, Okuninushi, Otowa, pilgrimage, shakujou, Shinto, Stage, Temple, UNESCO, veranda, 地主神社, 本堂, 武蔵坊弁慶, 清水の舞台, 清水寺, 京都, 仁王門 | Leave a comment

DAY 1 (3/6): NINNAJI TEMPLE (仁和寺), Kyoto (京都), Japan, 2016.12.03

Some bloggers mention Ninnaji Temple (仁和寺) is their favorite temple in Kyoto. It is not a small feat for any Kyoto temple to become someone’s favorite given the city has over 1600 temples. We had high expectations for Ninnaji before the trip and was delighted to check out this head temple of the Omuro school of the Shingong Sect of Buddhism on our first day. Following street signage, it was an easy 15-minute walk from Ryoanji to Ninnaji. The air was cool and refreshing in the northwestern foothills of Kyoto. The occasional vivid autumn leaves along the way made our walk even more pleasant. Founded in AD 888 by Emperor Uda, Ninnaji Temple maintained its close connection with the imperial family until Meji Restoration in the 19th century. For a thousand years the temple’s abbot had always been served by someone in the imperial family . Today most surviving buildings date back to the 17th century.

Ninnaji Temple is consisted of two main parts: Garan (伽藍) and Goren (御殿). The monumental main gate Nio-mon Gate (二王門) is one of the three famous gates in Kyoto, representing the magnificent timber skills and sense of beauty of ancient craftsmen. We started our visit at the Goren (御殿) just behind the ticket office. After taking off our shoes, we entered the Goren through a zigzag covered walkway, which ended at a peaceful dry zen garden known as the Dantei (南庭), or the South Garden. The pebbles and sand were arranged in rows across a large area, with the beautiful Chokushi-mon Gate (勅使門) and the Nio-mon Gate as prominent visual focuses in the background. The tranquil atmosphere of Dantei prompted us to stay for a short while to enjoy the pleasant moment. Following the covered verandas, we walked around Dantei to admire the traditional wall paintings inside prayer rooms along the way. The paintings on the golden walls in the Shinden (宸殿), the main hall, revealed an imperial touch in the design as if the interior of an imperial palace. After another turn we reached a completely different garden, the Hokutei (北庭), the North Garden. The main focus of Hokutei was a serene reflecting pool, reflecting the autumn foliage and the Five-Storey Pagoda in the Garan further in the background. Just a few minutes before we were admiring the abstract dry landscape of Dantei, where sand and pebbles metaphorize the sea, rocks as islands and trees as forests. A few minutes later we had entered a lush world of greenery and water in the Hokutei.

After the Goren, we walked over to Chu-mon Gate (中門) into the much larger Garan (伽藍). The entire Goren area was like a park, with several buildings scattered over in the area. We first headed over to the Gojunoto (五重塔), or the Five-storey Pagoda, an elegant tower visible from many places in Ninnaji. Behind the pagoda, we arrived at Kusho Myojin Shrine (九所明神), a peaceful Shinto shrine under the shade of trees. After clapping, praying and bowing in front of the shrine, we continued to wander around Garan. Next came Kyozo Sutra Hall (経蔵), a squarish timber building used to store the Buddhist scriptures. Back to the central area, we reached the largest building in Garan, the Kondo (金堂), or the Golden Hall, and the orange painted Syoro (鐘楼). None of these buildings were open, but it was the poetic atmosphere of these historical buildings in the natural setting that we enjoyed the most. Before leaving, we had a quick visit of the Miedo (御影堂), a Buddhist hall dedicated to Kukai (弘法大師) – the famous 8th century Buddhist monk who studied Buddhism in Xian of China and founded Shingon Buddhism in Japan. After a thorough visit of Goren and Garan, we walked through the monumental Nio-mon Gate once again, leaving Ninnaji slightly after 3pm. Because of the time of year the sun was already quite low, and it felt like late afternoon. We decided to quickly take the bus a few stops northwards to probably the most popular attraction in Kyoto, the Kinkakuji (金閣寺), or the Golden Pavilion.

It was a pleasant 15-minute walk from Ryoanji Temple to Ninnaji Temple.

We walked past beautiful autumn maples along the way.

We finally reached the monumental Nio-mon Gate, the main gate of Ninnaji Temple.

The timber structure of the Nio-mon Gate is a beautiful piece of architecture.

After getting the admission tickets, we entered the Goren (御殿) via a stone path flanked by the dry landscape of pebble and sand.

We took off our shoes and entered a zigzag covered walkway to enter the main buildings of Goren (御殿).

The Dantei (南庭), South Garden, of Goren (御殿) is a peaceful dry landscape of pebbles and sand, with the Chokushi-mon Gate (勅使門) and Nio-mon Gate (二王門) as background.