P1 Shirakawa: Chion-in Temple

Along the banks of the Shirakawa River in Kyoto, a world of enchantment awaits. The first one is a majestic temple: Chion-in.

If you’re looking for geisha and temples in Kyoto, you might think of Gion as the place to go. But there’s more to this historic district than meets the eye. In fact, there’s a hidden gem that you don’t want to miss: the Shirakawa River. This charming waterway runs through the heart of Gion, offering a scenic and serene escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

To get there, we hopped on a bus to Higashiyama station and then strolled for another 10 minutes. We decided to follow the river from Chion-in, the head temple of the Pure Land Zen sect in Japan. This is where our journey began, and what a journey it was! But before we dive into the details, let’s first pay our respects to the temple.

Chion-in Temple

As we approached the temple, we saw a modest wooden gate that looked like any other. But little did we know that behind it lay a stunning sight that took our breath away. We stepped inside, walked along a path and found ourselves face to face with the main gate, a colossal structure that towered over us like a giant. 

Many steps lead up to the main gate, which rests on a massive stone base. The wooden pillars were so thick that we couldn’t wrap our arms around them, and the massive roof was covered with blue-gray tiles. We felt like ants in front of a mountain, but also like pilgrims in front of a sacred temple.

The gate had three wide openings, but no doors. It seemed to invite us to enter and discover the secrets within. As I was wondering about the meaning of the doorless gate, I noticed a guide leading a group of foreign tourists nearby. They stopped at the stone steps and the guide began to explain. 

He said it is the Sanmon gate of the Zen Buddhist temple, and the three openings symbolize three liberations: emptiness, signlessness and aimlessness. When entering the temple, one has to let go of illusions (emptiness), attachments (signlessness) and desires (aimlessness). In other words, one needs to leave behind greed, hatred and delusion – the three roots of suffering. No doors bar the gate, for suffering and liberation are not separated, and the pure land always welcomes those who know to let go.

We strolled around the temple grounds, admiring the majestic main hall, the serene sub-temples, the charming stone bridges and the exquisite Japanese gardens. Despite the crowds of visitors and worshipers, the temple was surprisingly quiet, as everyone moved and spoke with respect. The monks’ chants for a departed soul reached our ears from the main hall. Every now and then, we saw a monk walking by, his face peaceful, his dark blue robe with wide sleeves flowing over his white kimono.

Thanks to the guide, I learned that the temple had seven treasures, and one of them caught my attention: the Magic Spoon. It was 2.5m long and weighed 30kg. Legend has it that the apprentice priest Miyoshi Seikai (one of the ten ninjas under Knight Sanada Yukimura in the 17th century) used it to scoop rice for soldiers. Because the Japanese word for “to scoop” resembles “to help” in sound, the spoon was placed in Chion-in to symbolize Amitabha Buddha’s intention to help Buddhists escape their sufferings.

My imagination ran wild with the words ‘ninja’ and ‘spoon’, so naturally, I was super curious to see this treasure. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to lay eyes on the Magic Spoon because we were on our own that afternoon, and my Japanese was too poor to ask the monks.

But I did see the bronze bell of Chion-in, which was a sight to behold. It has a diameter of 2.7m, covered with a dark green color of copper that has oxidized over time. The bell looked ancient but not old, as it seemed to be cleaned regularly. It was hung on a whole set of sturdy wooden pillars. The hammer was a huge wooden log about 4 meters long. The bell’s size and beauty matched its rank as the second largest in the world.

The bell is only rung twice a year on special occasions: the memorial ceremony of Master Honnen (the founder of the temple) and New Year’s Eve. It takes 17 priests to ring the bell, one to pull the main rope and 16 priests to pull the auxiliary ropes. 

You can watch the priests ringing the bell on YouTube, and it’s quite a spectacle. The master who pulls the main rope has to jump up and fall sideways to swing the hammer, which requires a lot of strength, practice and skill. The resonant sound of the bell ringing through the tranquil streets of Kyoto is also a remarkable sensation.

Chion-in is a solemn and stately temple that radiates peace and wisdom. I won’t say it’s ancient, because that’s like saying water is wet in Japan. And Chion-in was also a respectable challenge for my lazy legs. After climbing up and down the stairs, I was ready for a break. But as I stepped out of the temple gate, I realized there was still another challenge waiting for me.

The Master Bridge

Recalling our friend’s words, we looked for a small bridge near the temple. He said it was “similar to the monkey bridge in the southwest of Vietnam”. A monkey bridge in a country as refined as Japan? I wondered if he was joking, but lo and behold, there it was!

Over the Shirakawa River, it was just two concrete slabs 60cm wide and about 2m long. No handrails. It was slightly wider than the monkey bridge in Vietnam’s southwest. I watched the bridge for about 10 minutes, and I saw some Japanese cross it with ease. There was even a boy riding a bike over the bridge. I noticed that they only went one way from the opposite side to Chion-in, not the other way around.

Maybe it was the tradition, as the legend went that once pilgrims and monks finished their seven-year journey to visit 300 temples, and then completed nine days of meditating without eating, drinking or sleeping, they could go to the temple Sonshō-in behind Chion-in to receive the title “Master”. They would then cross the bridge to Chion-in, which is why the bridge is named “The Pilgrim” or “The Master”. Locals simply call it “Wooden Bridge” (the bridge used to be made of wood before concrete).

Having mastered the monkey bridges in Vietnam, I breezed through the Master bridge, except that I went the wrong way from Chion-in to the other side to follow the Shirakawa River. Maybe that’s why I missed out on the title “Master”?

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What else will we discover along the Shirakawa river? Find out in the next episode!