Admission
- Adult (18+)Free
Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
At a Glance
Kiyomizu-dera is a major Buddhist temple on Kyoto’s eastern hills, known for its hilltop precinct and large wooden stage. It is a key site for Kannon (Avalokiteshvara) worship and is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is the 16th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a renowned route across western Japan.
Founded in 778, Kiyomizu-dera predates Kyoto’s establishment as the imperial capital in 794. Most current buildings date from 1633, rebuilt under the Tokugawa shogunate after earlier fires. The temple belongs to the Kita-Hosso school of Buddhism, and its principal image is an 11-headed Kannon kept as a hidden statue (hibutsu).
Visitors enter through the Niomon and West Gate to a terraced complex of halls and pagodas. The Main Hall (Hondo) projects over the hillside on a stage supported by a framework of interlocked wooden pillars built without nails. Nearby features include the three-story pagoda, the Jishu Shrine dedicated to love and matchmaking, and the Otowa Waterfall, whose three streams are caught in metal cups for ritual drinking. The temple’s approach streets are lined with traditional shops and lead up to broad viewpoints over Kyoto.
Kiyomizu-dera has long served as a center for Kannon devotion, attracting pilgrims seeking compassion and worldly benefits. Its architecture and ritual spaces reflect Edo-period rebuilding and earlier Heian traditions. The temple’s UNESCO status recognizes its role in Kyoto’s historic landscape and its continued religious activity. It remains a leading destination for both pilgrimage and cultural heritage within the Kansai region.
Kiyomizu-dera's Main Hall features a wooden stage built entirely without nails, using an intricate framework of interlocked pillars. This design has supported the structure since its 1633 reconstruction under the Tokugawa shogunate.
Kiyomizu-dera is actually older than Kyoto itself, having been founded in 778—sixteen years before the city became Japan's imperial capital in 794.
The temple's principal image is an 11-headed Kannon statue that is kept as a hibutsu, a hidden sacred object that is never displayed to the public, making it one of Buddhism's most secret treasures.
The Otowa Waterfall at Kiyomizu-dera flows in three separate streams that visitors catch in long-handled metal cups for ritual drinking, with each stream believed to grant different worldly benefits to those who drink from it.
This temple offers 1 different goshuin designs
Regular
The divine spirits venerated at this sacred place
Bustling
Thorough (90+ minutes)
Kiyomizu-Gojo Station
3 structures on the grounds
Facilities
Shopping
Steep approach. Partial wheelchair access. Accessible toilets available.
Sacred journeys this temple belongs to
Fascinating facts about this place
Kiyomizu-dera's Main Hall features a wooden stage built entirely without nails, using an intricate framework of interlocked pillars. This design has supported the structure since its 1633 reconstruction under the Tokugawa shogunate.
Kiyomizu-dera is actually older than Kyoto itself, having been founded in 778—sixteen years before the city became Japan's imperial capital in 794.
The temple's principal image is an 11-headed Kannon statue that is kept as a hibutsu, a hidden sacred object that is never displayed to the public, making it one of Buddhism's most secret treasures.
