Wayo · Edo period · Built ~798
Original file name: 20230704 161532
This is the main hall (Hondo) of Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto, featuring a dramatic wooden stage (butai) cantilevered over the hillside on a framework of tall zelkova pillars joined without nails. The building displays characteristic Wayo Buddhist temple architecture with sweeping irimoya-style hipped-and-gabled roofs covered in cypress bark shingles and ornate gilded chigi finials at the gable ends. The open veranda with white-railed balustrade offers panoramic views over the forested hillside and the city of Kyoto below.
