5/9/24: Discovering Kyoto's Higashiyama District

 

I'd read that if we only had time to visit one place in Japan, Kyoto should be that destination. We were lucky that though we had time to explore much more of the country, we'd set aside a week in the former capital, the country's most historically significant city, and the only major city spared WW II's bombs. Planning our time in the home of the former Imperial Court for over 1,000 years was daunting because there are 17 heritage sites in Kyoto Prefecture or state/province that were designated UNESCO Historic Monuments. We knew it'd be all too easy to get "templed out" if we didn't mix up seeing religious buildings with other places that intrigued us.

Just down the street from our apartment was the Yasaka-jinja Shrine but we delayed seeing it until the end of our Kyoto visit.

Instead, we spent the day in the city's Higashiyama District, catching a bus to Sanjusangendo Hall originally founded as Rengeoin Temple in 1164 and rebuilt following a fire in 1266. The hip and gable roof was built in two traditional Japanese architectural styles and was covered in fired clay tiles. The large, long hall, was built of cypress wood and measured nearly 120 meters in length. It consisted of 33 bays or spaces between the pillars running down the hall and was thereby known as the Hall of Thirty-Three Bays or Sanjusangendo. When the hall was originally built, it was painted inside and out in brilliant shades of red, blue, and green with images of Buddha, flowers, and clouds. It was said almost to have been almost the Incarnation of Paradise.

Inside sat a nearly five-meter-tall, thousand-armed, seated statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva or Goddess of Mercy, one of the most beloved and widely venerated deities in Japanese Buddhism. She was surrounded by 1,001 other Kannons, statues of the gods of wind and thunder, and 28 Attendant Deities. Remarkably, all of the statues were designated as National Treasures by the Japanese national government! 

Before entering the hall we walked around the grounds and saw Honen's Stone Monument, built to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the death of former Emperor Goshirakawa by Honen, the founder of the Jodo Buddhism sect.

A year after the worship hall was founded, the Natural Spring for Worshippers was discovered by one of the temple's priests in a dream.

On entering the massive hall, we immediately came across the powerful Wind God statue placed on a raised cloud-shaped pedestal. Like the Thunder God statue at the other end of the temple hall, both images were derived from people's fear of, and gratitude for, nature in the old days. The Wind God came from the Sanskrit name Vayu which was introduced in Rigveda, the ancient Indian scripture. Behind the wind god was row upon row of 1,001 life-sized figures, each one with different facial features. All of the standing statues were carved from Japanese cypress, 124 when the temple was founded in the 12th century and the remaining 876 when the temple was renovated in the 13th century.

There were 28 images of guardian deities placed in a straight line in front of the 1,001 Kannon statues. They protected the main Buddhist deity Kannon as well as pious Buddhists who believe in Kannon. Many of the mythic images had their origins in ancient India. One was the statue of Karura whose original Sanskrit name was Garuda. In ancient India, the deity was thought to be a gigantic bird that ate snakes and carried a Hindu deity on its back. Later adopted as a Buddhist deity, it was included in the Eight Protectors of Buddhist teachings. Karura represented a bird-headed winged figure, playing the flute while keeping time with a foot.

Even though each statue was referred to as having one thousand arms, there were only 40 on each because each hand had the power to save 25 worlds. 

In the center of the standing statues was the most important and most revered image of Kannon carved by 82-year-old Tankei, a famous sculptor in 1254 according to ink inscriptions on the statue's body and on the seat. It was assembled by a wood construction method called yosegi-zukuri and coated with gold foil over a lacquered surface. Crystal pieces were inserted into the eye sockets to make them appear lifelike. 

Devotees across Japan turn to Kannon in times of difficulty, believing that she will hear their prayers and come to their assistance. Her gentle yet powerful presence is seen in countless temples and shrines throughout Japan, where her statues and images serve as focal points for prayer and meditation.

Another guardian deity was Birurokusha whose original Sanskrit name was Virudhaka. He was believed to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings who keep watch on the southern hillside of Mt. Shumisen, a mythical mountain forming the center of the world according to one Buddhist cosmological view. 

Ashura was said to be the equivalent of the highest deity in Persia, present-day Iran and, since being adopted by Buddhists, was considered one of the Eight Protectors of Buddhist teachings.

The scent of incense wafted throughout the hall as people prayed together for their loved ones and the happiness of all living things. 

At the far end of the hall was the Thunder God statue which may have had its origins in the God of Water or Varuna, also mentioned in the Rigveda sacred scripture. The Thunder God was believed to preside over the weather.

As it was the longest wooden building in Japan, Sanjusangendo has hosted archery competitions for centuries in the nearly 120-meter-long corridor behind the statues. Standing at one end we could only imagine how difficult it would be to pierce a sacred cloth attached to the wall at the opposite end. The target was hit 8,133 times when a competitor fired off 13,053 arrows for 24 hours nonstop in 1686, marking the greatest record.

Sanjusanendo didn't look anything remarkable initially but it was quite overwhelming to see the 1,001 golden statues of Kannon inside, especially as each had slightly different facial features. Though the gold has largely worn away, they were still visually stunning.

We easily caught another bus to near Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Higashiyama's most famous temple and a UNESCO World Heritage site, where pilgrims have climbed to the mountain-side temple for centuries.

We soon realized that we'd see images of this cat all over Japan and Steven bought a small ceramic copy to place among his other tiny animal sculptures on his dresser.

Well before reaching the temple, we encountered enormous crowds of people mostly, fortunately, heading in the same direction. It was incredibly intense and difficult to talk with or keep track of each other if one of us slowed down or looked at a shop or restaurant for a moment. I found it hard to discern any religious fervor among the pilgrims or visitors - instead, it seemed more like a fun outing just as I'd remembered on our walk to Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo.

Views looking forward and back:

The temple, occupying an exalted spot on Mount Otowa, was founded in 778 by the third Tokugawa Shogun Iemitsu but the buildings visible today were rebuilt in 1633. 

Two massive temple guardians manned the entry.

Some people tried to lift the heavy iron staves and geta clogs, supposedly used by the warrior Benkei. The geta were traditional Japanese wooden footwear with a flat wooden base elevated with normally two 'teeth' held onto the foot with a fabric thong. They most closely resemble flip-flops.

There were so many different pagodas we didn't know what was what as the signage was very poor.

Lots of Westerners were dressed up in obviously rented attire, a practice we'd first observed in Kanazawa. 

It was sad that we couldn't fully appreciate the temple because of the inadequate signage. I took photos galore but of what remains largely a mystery!

A sign indicated the temple's Main Hall was constructed over a cliff and featured a veranda supported by 139 pillars, each 15 meters high. Though dedicated to the goddess of mercy and compassion, most people are drawn for its magnificent sight and views. 

The views were so well-known to the Japanese that the phrase "jumping from the veranda of Kiyomizu Temple" meant that they were about to begin a particularly bold or daring adventure.

The Jishu (Shinto) Shrine behind the main hall was long considered to be the dwelling place of Okuni Nushi-no-mikoto, the god of love and matchmaking. At the shrine, people could, for a fee, write down their troubles on a piece of paper before submerging it in a bucket of water so that both the troubles and the paper dissolve. If the shrine hadn't been closed for renovations, it would have been fun to try to walk in a straight line from one love fortune-telling stone to the other, nine meters away with our eyes closed. However, it wouldn't have mattered as our desires for love had long ago been granted!

Descending the long stairway to Otowa Falls:

At the bottom, we watched a long line of people taking turns to catch water in a ladle and then wash their faces.

Leaving the temple, we'd already seen our fair share of unusual bathroom amenities in Japan but listening to the sound of running water from speakers in each bathroom stall took the cake!

I thought of my pickle-loving, pool friends when I saw these lemon-flavored cucumber pickle sticks.

We passed these up, too, but admired their artistic flair.

The flight of flagstone steps leading from the temple was known as the Sannenzaka in the 1762 Kyo-machi Kagami or Guide to Kyoto's Neighborhoods as the Third Year Hill as it was created in 808, the third year of Dado. It was also known as the Hill of Safe Birth from a sub-temple of Kiyomizu where prayers for a safe birth were believed to be answered. Superstitious folk believed that if you tripped and fell on the steps you'd die within three years! The Sannenzaka District was registered by Kyoto City in 1976 as a Preservation District and was also one of the first to be designated by the national government as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings.

I had a mouthwatering fried chicken skewer like this and Steven enjoyed a potato dish from another street vendor.

Another gently sloping, pedestrian-only lane was Ninenzaka with beautifully restored traditional shops and a delightfully atmospheric place to stroll. It was easy to imagine what Kyoto might have looked like before modernity descended in full force.

Kasagiya on Ninenzaka was described as the single most atmospheric teashop in Kyoto. We didn't peer through the half curtain to see what it was like inside. 

A short walk away was Ryozen Kannon Temple which had been designated as a spot of peace and good luck since June 8th, 1955. Its 24-meter-high white statue was dedicated to unknown soldiers who died in WW II. 

The admission fee included incense sticks we placed in the temple incense burner.

The Hall of Memorial Tablets commemorated the more than 48,000 foreign soldiers who died on Japanese territory during the war. As there was no English-language information or anyone to ask, I could only guess that its old library-style drawers contained information on each of the soldiers who perished so far from home. 

I read that somewhere on the property memorial services are conducted four times a day to honor the two million Japanese who also perished during the war.

Almost completely hidden away was the Memorial Hall which was dedicated to the unknown soldier killed during the war.

The moving inscription read, 

"All honor to him, friend or foe,

 May the tragedy of his supreme 

Sacrifice bring to us, the living,

Enlightenment and inspiration:

Fill us with ever-mounting zeal 

For the all-compelling quest of peace,

World peace and universal brotherhood."

In an adjoining room were containers of soil or sand collected from military cemeteries all over the world.

Buddha's footprint stone:

Steven and I were glad to stop briefly at Ryozen Kannon and pay our respects to the vast number of unknown soldiers who lost their lives during the war. Unlike the huge number of people at both Sanjusangendo Hall and Kiyomizu-dera Temple, we could count on one hand the tourists or pilgrims at Ryozen.

One minute away was the massively popular Koda-ji Temple judged by its nearly full parking lot and number of tour buses. The Zen Buddhist temple was established in 1605 by Nene, the noblewoman and widow of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to commemorate her husband and pacify his spirit. Its construction was extensively financed by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi's chief vassal before he became the Shogun of Japan.

In 1588, Nene was awarded the nobility's highest rank by Emperor Goyozei and she was accorded in 1603 the honorary name Koda-in, from which the temple derived its name. Following the custom of noblewomen at the time, Nene became a Buddhist nun after her husband died in 1598.

The Temple Garden was redesigned by Kobori Ensyu, a renowned 17th-century landscape architect from an older garden on the site. In the pond, we could make out an island in the shape of a turtle and a group of stones representing a crane.

The sand looked like ocean waves as it had been raked so perfectly!

Kaisan-do or Founder's Hall was dedicated to the temple's founding priest. I was just able to take one shot of the dark interior before knowing there was a strictly enforced no-picture policy. I wish I could better remember the priest's statue and the colored ceiling that was constructed of materials from Nene's court carriage.

Otam-ya was the special memorial hall enshrining the wooden images of Toyotomi and Nene Hideyoshi in the rear. Parts of the shrine were decorated with a special lacquer-work technique that incorporated designs in gold.

We climbed higher up the mountain to reach Kasa-tei and Shigure-tei, adjoining teahouses designed by Sen-no-Riku, a famous 16th-century tea master. They were moved there from Fushimi Castle in southern Japan. Kasa-tei's name is derived from its unique ceiling construction in which bamboo and logs were interwoven in a radiating pattern.

The outside corridor connected the two teahouses. 

We hadn't remembered seeing this bluish-gray shade before in any other bamboo grove

Described as the single most beautiful lane in all of Kyoto, there was no way we wanted to miss Ishibei-koji Lane especially as it was supposed to be like entering another world. 

Perhaps we were tired or jaded but we found it hard to get terribly excited even at the beautifully maintained buildings that lined the 200-meter-long lane. There were none of the traditional inns, restaurants, or shops to break up the somewhat confining wooden walls.

Of more interest to us was the adjacent and far livelier Nene-no-Michi Lane also named for the widow of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It was fun window shopping and seeing rickshaw pullers making their way as we strolled along the cherry tree-lined walkway. 

Next post: Taking a break from seeing more temples while exploring Kyoto's Gion Quarter!

Posted on June 29th, 2024, on another hot day from our home in Littleton, located near Colorado's Foothills. I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying summertime wherever you are.