Kiyomizu is an old temple of the Hosso sect of Buddhism, a relatively small sect that was established--according to legend--in 657 by the monk Dosho from China.  It is said that Kiyomizu-dera (Clear Water Temple) was founded in 798 by the monk Enchin through the patronage of the warrior Tamuramaro.  Legend states that Enchin dreamt of a golden stream flowing down from this mountain into the Yodogawa River.  When he went to investigate, he found an old man sitting on a log who gave his name as Gyoei.  The old man told Enchin that he had spent the last 200 years reciting invocations to Kannon (a god with eleven faces and 1,000 arms).  He wished Enchin to take his place so that he could make a pilgrimage, promising the young man that the log he'd been sitting on would make good material for an image of Kannon.  Enchin waited for a long time but the man did not return.  Hoping to find the old man, Enchin ascended a nearby hill and discovered a pair of shoes lying on the summit.  Enchin suddenly realized that the old man had been none other than Kannon himself--the shoes left behind signaled that the "old man" had returned to heaven.   He hurried back to the log, determined to make it into an image of Kannon as the god himself had suggested.

Twenty years passed, but Enchin could still not figure out how to shape the log into a proper image.  Finally one day the warrior Saka-no-ue Tamuramaro came through the forest hunting a stag for his pregnant wife (it was believed that stag's blood eased childbirth).  Tamuramaro came upon Enchin in the woods.  Impressed with his devotion, he decided that he would dismantle his own house and reassemble it as a temple beside a nearby waterfall.  With Tamuramaro's backing, Enchin finished the image and took residence in the new temple.

Legend also says that after Tamuramaro's gift, the warrior took part in expeditions against the indigeonous inhabitants of northern Japan.  The Emperor rewarded him with the title "Barbarian-subduing Generalissimo" for his deeds and gave him a fine building at the site of Nagaoka palace.  Tamuramaro also donated this building to the temple.

There is no way to test the veracity of the early legends concerning Kiyomizudera, for the original temple burned a number of times over the centuries.  In one notable conflict--the 15th century Onin War--it actually escaped damage because it remained neutral in the great sectarian feuds that ravaged the city (the Hosso sect was perhaps too small to get involved).

In the late 16th century Toyotomi Hideoshi, the unifier of Japan, spent much time at the temple and left behind a number of objects, many of which remain today.  The temple grew in the early 17th century, only to be savagely ruined by a massive fire that destroyed most of the original buildings.  Damage from the fire was quickly repaired, with most of the reconstructed buildings completed by 1633.  The present buildings generally date from that period, except for a few that escaped the fire on the western side of the temple.

During the Togukawa shogunate major restorations of the architecture and artwork were sponsored by the rulers, especially during the rule of the third Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu.  Construction of the temple continues today, with several extensions having been built in the past twenty years.  Because of its history and spectacular vantage point overlooking the city, Kiyomizu-dera retains a reputation as one of Kyoto's finest temples