A landscape coloring page of Kiyomizu-dera, the celebrated temple in Kyoto, Japan. This free printable is made for adults, seniors, and care settings: the outlines of the temple halls and the open sky leave plenty of room to play with depth and shading. Download and print the PDF free — no registration required.
🗣 Conversation Starters — for care activities and family time
Have you ever visited Kiyomizu-dera? Do you remember the view from its wooden stage?
Which places in Kyoto left the strongest impression on you?
Have you ever used the Japanese saying “to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu”?
Please tell us about your memories of Kyoto.
How high is the wooden stage at Kiyomizu-dera?
The stage juts out from the main hall of Kiyomizu-dera and stands about 13 m (roughly 43 ft) above the hillside — about as high as a four-storey building. It rests on 139 zelkova pillars and was built with the traditional kake-zukuri joinery method, which uses no nails at all.
What does the proverb “to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu” mean?
It means to steel yourself and make a bold, irreversible decision. Records show that people really did leap from the stage in centuries past, and by one account they believed a wish would be granted if they survived the fall.
Is Kiyomizu-dera a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes. Kiyomizu-dera was inscribed in 1994 as part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.” The temple is said to have been founded in 778, and the buildings standing today were rebuilt in 1633 by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.
