When one thinks of Kyoto, several things come to mind: the city’s long and fascinating history as Japan’s political and spiritual capital, its umpteenth UNESCO site, and the cultural and spiritual mecca that it has become today for revelers in faith and culinary delights alike. But as one walks through the city’s elegant, tree-lined streets, taking in grand public spaces and enjoying a contemplative stroll through Arashiyama, one thing above all dominates the collective imagination. Kyoto draws visitors like no other cultural institution in Japan: the city’s Buddhist and Shinto temples, sacred places that have fulfilled vital roles at crucial times in Japanese history and remain objects of reverence and artistic genius even in recent times. This essay, then, is an invitation to appreciate them not just as architectural beauty, nor even as conduits to faith, but as a breathtaking intersection of both, and indeed in many ways at once.
On the one hand, these six institutions can all serve as a leisurely afternoon walking tour of northern Higashiyama — a means to acclimate the first-time visitor to a lasting and essential facet of Japanese culture. On the other, they are internal spaces of the highest order: architectural masterpieces and spaces of the mind, each of them teaching two-way lessons about art and faith, about Japan and the world at various moments in time. These are spiritual centers enshrining traditional Shinto deities sent from the Ise Grand Shrine, and thereafter giving Buddhist teachings to the laity. Given all this, it is no surprise that they still draw hordes of devout and curious pilgrims each and every year.
The Cultural Significance of Temples in Kyoto
Temples are ubiquitous in the Japanese scenery, and particularly numerous in the old capital of Kyoto, where there are numerous centers of religious and secular life. In a culturally rich urban space that weaves religion, spirituality, festivals, tea ceremonies, Noh performances, and gardening with elements of daily survival and consumption, the temples indeed represent much of the place’s cultural heritage. Grouped together, they serve as a living repository for spiritual, ritual, artistic, and communal traditions. The architecture, picture scrolls and sculptures, monk’s portraits, merchant activities, and more make the sights and sounds of a temple not only an expression of a Japanese place, but increasingly a Kyoto place. Here, temples accommodate a multi-sited historical record of the people and philosophies that supported them, especially the women’s Daoist and nature-based Shugendō religious traditions that have become, over time, distinct environmental orientations. Temples have likewise meant many things in the course of Kyoto’s socio-political history as its simple colonial architecture, arts festivals, merchants, Noh ceremonies, and shamans demonstrate.
In addition, each temple’s garden and surrounding neighborhood often represent unique versions of the surrounding landscape, including green tea and a famous Kyoto cherry tree that has long been the focus of springtime picnicking and waka poetry writing. It is thus, in every sense, to the modern visitor a living temple record of women’s and nature-based religious traditions. Although many of these religious practices and ceremonies predate the site’s current manifestation as a temple space, the temples themselves have endured a number of significant disasters. As a common ground multi-threaded by different currents of religious and temporal life, they are an emblem of social, religious, and artistic stability in the city and remain an important element of the city’s cultural heritage and tourist activities today.
Architectural Styles of Kyoto Temples
The architectural styles of Kyoto’s temples are noteworthy not only for their beautifully proportioned pyramidal pagodas, but also for their associated structures such as graceful torii gates, red-lacquered bridges, monolithic zendo halls, and stone lanterns. The pragmatic design of the temples, whether they incorporate mountains into their layout or use water surrounds to reflect their initial purpose of bringing travelers in off the road, creates an aesthetic whole that is a vital part of Kyoto’s appeal. Located around the city, a full exploration of these architectural marvels would take weeks, and only some notable examples of the major stylistic patterns that make up the rich history of Kyoto are covered.
Heian architecture, separated into the wayo portion descended from the elegant Japanese villa style and the wayo section, is derivative, but it was developed considerably to keep abreast of the needs of the diplomatic capital. The warrior capital in a later, more austere Japan required varieties of Zen temples and the Shinto shrines of Ise, whose woodwork, roofing, plastering, and other materials exemplify that simple dignity which is the mark of Japanese craftsmanship, owe much to both Zen and pre-Heian temple construction. They are of an indigenous, dwell-embedded design whose association of parts and principles runs deeper than their intellect. Although temple design can be defined to a certain degree by anatomizing the parts, determined from first to last by an intelligent mind, the whole complex of temple environment reflects some such interplay of its parts as is felt by grown trees on hillsides. It was once eloquently stated that, “They must not be directly Utopian: for their stereotypes were in every case altered details, stylized representations of hundred-year-old trees would be grotesques of the highest order if directly copied for general use; their close associations with the landscape would be improper.”
Famous Temples in Kyoto
Kyoto serves as the cradle of Japan’s rich cultural and religious heritage, as is evident from various ancient Shinto shrines and Japan’s thousands of Buddhist temples nestled within a vast, elaborate architectural and environmental context. While there are many exquisite sights to visit in Kyoto, one could spend a week in favorable amazement just visiting the various temples. Besides the temples’ invaluable religious and historical significance, they possess renowned artistic and architectural influence. Several Kyoto temples are the best examples of certain temple styles and architectures. From the omnipresent wooden Buddhist statue to the quietude and splendor these temples offer, history buffs are surely going to be in for a delightful ride. Among the most popular and impressive sights in Kyoto is Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. The pavilion is a singular architectural beauty constructed by the Shogun around the year 1400. Made in the Kitayama style of the Muromachi period, the top two floors of the pavilion are coated in gold leaf. Set against the backdrop of verdant mountains and bordering a serene pond, this extravagant pavilion leaves quite the ornate impression. Fushimi Inari Taisha, aside from a number of Japanese temples that have captivated millions of travelers, happens to be leading in terms of grounds popularity. The shrine is famous for its path circling the hilltop to reach the inner shrine, which is framed by over 10,000 red torii gates. The shrine sits at the base of Inari Mountain, at 233 meters high, and is known for its reverence for the Shinto rice deity. A number of fox statues portraying messenger spirits are dotted around the temple.
Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion)
Completed in 1397, Kinkaku-ji’s simple design masks a tragic past filled with stories of lost glory, personal misfortune, and religious conviction. Originally built as a private villa for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion, was converted to a Zen Buddhist temple by will after the shogun’s death in 1408. Each floor exhibits a different style of architecture dating from different periods, resulting in a breathtaking contrast of design styles. The top two floors are covered in gold leaf and designed off the luxurious styles of the shogun’s time, while the first floor is modeled after a samurai residence. Kinkaku-ji reflects the surrounding landscape of Kyoto with meticulously maintained gardens. Ginshaden, or the ‘sea of silver,’ is an immaculately trimmed sand garden that wraps around the sides and front of the pavilion. A pond, stocked with carp and Japanese irises, runs along the back and side of Kinkaku-ji, providing a reflective view of the Golden Pavilion while also emphasizing the surrounding forest. In contrast to my winter experience, the summer version of Kinkaku-ji looks completely different. The trees are not robust, and the colors are dominated by green. In fall, Kinkaku-ji becomes even more attractive as the surrounding slopes turn into an explosion of vivid and warm colors. Springtime showcases cherry blossoms that swathe the grounds in pink confetti. The Zen aesthetics at Kinkaku-ji embody a classic Japanese idea of an ideal dwelling. In the Buddhist Zen garden at Kinkaku-ji, the spatial layout and walkways direct visitors’ sight and guide them to natural gardens, stone gardens, greenery gardens, and even hidden gardens. Kinkaku-ji is said to be one of the country’s top three gardens because every corner and detail has been carefully considered and put into place in the harmony of Zen worldview, which centers on understanding and accepting impermanence. Since its completion in 1955, the pavilion has been restored twice due to fires, showcasing evolution and a stark reminder of temporality. The reflection of the pavilion in the water becomes one with the cosmos, reflecting the shattering of boundaries between the sacred and profane. This coalescence, constituting beauty, emptiness, and sadness, informs Kinkaku-ji’s aesthetic as a ritualistic ourou-reika, a ‘royal hunt.’ Today, visitors can walk the temple grounds and take part in omikuji, fortunes that can range from great, good, middle, or bad luck. Visitors can also collect goshuin, an ink-stamped seal that signifies a visit to Kinkaku-ji and bask in some Zen time by the pond.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Approaching the summit of Mount Nishimine, Fushimi Inari Taisha is home to large, vibrant red torii gates that stretch across the hillside in uniform lines. The Shinto shrine, dedicated to the fox goddess Inari, has its beginnings shrouded in the mists of time, existing since before records were kept. In Japanese folklore, foxes are believed to possess the ability to turn into humans and back again. Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head temple of the god of agriculture, dedicated to the Shinto deity Inari, god of rice and fertility, with the spiritual and physical care of grains and other food crops, especially rice, said to be critical to human well-being, riches, prosperity, fortune, and worldly success. In essence, the gods are said to symbolize balance, prosperity, and fertility. The fox god was an early adopter of the rice field, and foxes were brought to the shrine to ward off harmful animals. This is still seen today through fox figures, especially those adorned with red torii gates. The torii gates along the popular hiking trail from the main shrine to the summit of Mount Inari are said to symbolize prosperity and feature donor names. Today, the experience of walking through the torii gates is well-known by locals and tourists alike. With over 10 million visitors annually, some in traditional historical pilgrimage garb, the shrine plays an important role in both the local and national consciousness. The shrine is closely linked to nature, allowing one to engage in spirituality amid the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains. Its rituals continue to bring the history of the torii gates to life in contemporary spirituality.
Kiyomizu-dera
Built in 778 AD, Kiyomizu-dera, which translates to Clear Water Temple, is one of the most iconic religious buildings in all of Japan and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is synonymous with its spectacular views over Kyoto and its flourishing forests, famously appreciated from the wooden stage of its Main Hall jutting out from a hillside at the complex. This unique architectural design, constructed without a single nail, is erected for a vertigo-inducing 13 meters in height. From this vantage point, visitors can also appreciate the stunning cherry blossoms blooming in spring and the luminescent red and orange of the maple leaves throughout the autumn.
Kiyomizu-dera’s pure water has been recognized by the ancient and native Japanese Shinto religion for centuries, in which it is considered one of the 16 Pure Water Sites. The Otowa Waterfall or Otowa-no-taki adjacent to Kiyomizu-dera, in particular, is the focus of a water purification ritual. Drinking from one of its three streams, representing longevity, success at school, and a fortunate love life, allows for the realization of one wish. Its name is derived from the water source’s pureness that enables drinking and is thought to have many healing properties.
The sheer volume of water supplied by the spring is thought to be so extensive that it is often described as “becoming a river,” which is clearly illustrated by the ever-flowing canal below. The temple has fiercely influenced local arts and crafts, perhaps best showcased by the fine Kiyomizu ware, notably its trademark colorful teapots and cups, available at the many neighboring shops. The founding of this Kannon temple is steeped in legend, with some reports maintaining that the structure was built as a tribute to the Kannon Buddhist figure by the famous and renowned monk Enchin. Another legend asserts that a woman sought help from a divine spirit to guide her to seek the temple’s name for her future husband before visiting. The Kannon was a center of spiritual devotion, and as such, the temple grew considerably as a site for both public religious rituals and ceremonies. The Kiyomizu title is perhaps best translated as “pure water,” reflecting the mighty water of the nearby Otowa-e. Kiyomizu-dera remains a cultural icon, as well as a symbol of Kyoto, even today.
Ryoan-ji: The Temple of the Dragon at Peace
Although northerly Kyoto’s Ryoan-ji is not as old as Kyoto’s other major Zen temples, it was still a powerful center of Zen Buddhism, founded in the late 15th century. Ryoan-ji is home to a karesansui; that is, a rock garden, also known by its literal translation, a Zen garden. While many gardens throughout Japan have developed Zen elements, karesansui such as that at Ryoan-ji have nothing to do with gardening: they are veritable works of land art. The artist who created Ryoan-ji’s Temple of the Dragon is lost to time. Since only monks who pursued the practice of zazen and memorizing koans could dwell at Ryoan-ji, perhaps the artist behind the rock garden was no monk at all. He was likely either an artisan of worldly crafts, aiding the construction of the grounds, or else a hermit of the mountains living in the wilderness outside the city. It’s also conceivable that the artists were a group, for it might have taken more than one master to raise a wall nearly four meters tall, and it is likely that a team of several men assembled the ridged plateaus of stone.
The rock garden at Ryoan-ji stands in stark contrast to the garden that surrounds it. Meandering paths lead guests from one sojourn to the next, each one a picturesque view of pines and hills and an ever-varying panoply of mosses, in spring ablaze with azaleas, in fall with maples and camellias. This garden is a place of ease, a destination taken not for its great austerity and refinement but for just the opposite; it has the embrace of time. And from time to time, as visitors take their seats by the low table in contemplation of the dry garden or the wet one, a hot kettle may even arrive, boiled, might yield tea. For here, if a man were to dream with his eyes wide open, this is the realm of dreams he would inhabit, and in the heart of a void that surpasses all understanding, there is merely peace enough. Even the subject of this table seems impertinent, so far is it hidden between camerawork and edit. The rock garden at Ryoan-ji, however, is the direct opposite of that which surrounds it. It is nothing, a void: the cornerstone of Zen thought. The garden, a simple expanse of roughly rectangular white gravel bordered by deep earthen walls on three sides, was meant to be contemplated year-round from the veranda of the main hall of the temple. This contemplation assumes a view from the base of the mountains where the monks lived, close to the gods and watched over always by the dragons – but from the ordinary views of human guests, the metaphysical shape of the cosmos takes on different expressions.
Spiritual Practices and Rituals at Kyoto Temples
Many of the worship and spiritual practices of the major religious sites can be observed at their prestigious buildings perched like jewels upon the historic hills of Kyoto. At the forefront of these practices is the joy of making offerings, of asking deities for grace or health, and of divine grace. Offerings are not just a form of wealth redistribution but are believed to be an important medium for showing gratitude. It is believed that through rituals and contemplation, the grace of the deities and Buddhas of the site can be brought forth and personally observed. Many of these temples, and sometimes their religious orders, are designed to convey a particular spirit to those who encounter them. Some of this spiritual wonder comes in the form of exciting or beautiful religious performances, such as the Kabuki play of Yasaka Shrine, or the serene and natural botanic arrangements of gardens such as Daigoji’s Sanbo-in.
Every temple also performs a variety of special worship ceremonies while meeting with the monks and priests, all of which involve some kind of purification rituals and a modest prize for the worshippers. A monk might recite a sutra at the start, a mudra might be introduced, at which point the worshippers attempt to replicate the earthen teachings of the Buddha. Incense offerings or candlesticks might be consecrated by monastic hands, and clay sculptures representing a feeling of oneness with the Buddhas or bodhisattvas might be blessed. These tokens commemorate one’s visit but also take with them the presence of sanctity, and in return become considered sacred omamori amulets. The divine grace becomes compacted and is carried with the worshippers into the mundane world. By deeply inhaling the incense smoke, the message of the divine is supposed to infuse into the worshippers’ hearts, giving them an idea of the divine impression. Through these worship customs, the Kamakura elite deliberately centered a powerful spell around themselves by communally invoking the divine for help. This showed for much of the populace and elites a more focused and ‘mindful’ attunement to their spiritual and community life. Through activated divine energies, a fellow feeling and personal mindfulness at each temple were deeply woven into the cultural identity. Many high-ranking families possess these temples and shrines, and some charity through these areas is common. Monks and priests play the role of the leader in the formulas and are also engaged in managing the other symbolic acts in each worship ceremony, which can feature performances. Monks and shrine clerics are witty and acute, using a combination of humor to create the right atmosphere. These worship ceremonies are a community event that frequently draws a local crowd, involving visitors and worshipping with parties visiting for the first time.
Preservation Efforts and Challenges
Recent decades have seen ambitious preservation efforts to maintain and restore these valuables, and many now serve as tourist attractions. As sites for religious devotion, they have been closely associated for centuries with wattled thatched roofs. Fires routinely razed temples, which encouraged regular upgrades, renovations, and reconstruction. Of course, the extent of deterioration differs. In many cases, the deterioration is due to neglect or lack of funds. The environmental factors that cause historic wooden items to degrade, especially exposure to the weather, plague the Kyoto temples. Additionally, the fact that 1.5 million visitors roam in and out of them annually contributes to the wear and tear.
Preservation is designed to yield as light a touch as possible, as currently do the restorations on fixed intervals. The frequent use of the oldest handcraft methods available has refused to incorporate any sort of technology into the work process. This technique looks different from the work produced by technology-driven methods and is easily identifiable through many regenerative processes. The successful project has led to the establishment of several temples spread at the entrance of the temple, inns, and museums. As contemporary artists and craftsmen are introduced into restoring physical temples, more young Japanese are glued to their smartphones, snacks, and hobbies than to any form of spirituality, heritage, or this sort of patrimony. Measures like these, but more widespread and focused on education and access to traditional craft, make available technology to encourage Japanese youth to educate themselves and consume products from the temples’ world heritage sites, which stands for the most long-term success potential for the preservation efforts of Kyoto’s ancient temples.