Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple on the wooded hillside of Mount Otowa in eastern Kyoto, with a foundation traditionally dated to 778 and associated with the monk Enchin and later with the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. Its name means pure water temple, after the Otowa waterfall at the foot of the main hall, where visitors drink from three streams of water. The buildings seen today date mostly from 1633, when the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu paid for their reconstruction. The main hall has a large wooden veranda built out over the slope on tall pillars, assembled without nails. The expression to jump off the stage of Kiyomizu means to take a bold decision. The temple is part of the UNESCO site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
Before and after
- 30 November 762 CEDeath of Li Bai
- from 764 CE to 1621Construction of Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch
- 770 CEDeath of Du Fu
- from 772 CE to 804 CESaxon Wars
- 778 CEConstruction of Kiyomizu-dera
- 780 CEBirth of Muḥammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi
- 786 CEConstruction of Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba
- 787 CESecond Council of Nicaea
- 8th centuryRise of Neo-Confucianism
More in Civilizations & archaeology
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- 802 CEConstruction of Angkor Wat
- from 29 July 1299 to 17 November 1922Ottoman Empire
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- 1460Construction of Topkapı Palace
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 8th century.