Kiyomizu-dera
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Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple located in eastern Kyoto, Japan. It belongs to the Kita-Hosso sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is a hibutsu statue of Jūichimen Kannon. The temple's full nam
Kiyomizu-dera's main hall (hondō)
Kiyomizu-dera circa 1880 by Adolfo Farsari
Kiyomizu-dera in autumn
Niōmon (deva gate)
Sōhei
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Sōhei were Buddhist warrior monks of both classical and feudal Japan. At certain points in history, they held considerable power, obliging the imperial and military governments to collaborate.
The sōhei Benkei with Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Kamakura-period statue of Thousand-armed Kannon at Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto, Japan.
Oda Nobunaga forces setting fire to Enryaku-ji and massacring the monks in the 1571 Siege of Mount Hiei (depiction in the Ehon taikōki)
Sōhei weapons and dress during the Kamakura period