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Sado’s Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Blended with Moss and Trees
On my first trip to Sado Island, this was one of the places that moved me the most—arguably the number one or two. Seisui-ji Temple, founded in 808, features the Guze-den Hall, modeled after Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera Temple. It’s possible that the weather—just after a light rain had stopped—added to the sense of mystery (though I imagine it would have been lovely on a clear day as well), but the sight of the temple, seemingly left untouched by human hands for a long time—as if it might soon be overgrown with moss and trees and turn into a forest—was truly spectacular. In reality, it’s not an abandoned temple; the head priest in charge apparently comes by regularly to check on it. It also appears to be the only existing shrine or temple where 26 statues of the “Twenty-Eight Attendants” of the Thousand-Armed Kannon—the oldest surviving examples from the Heian period—have been discovered. My friend who came with me was also left breathless.
