3) 堂々巡り

"Circling the temple hall" is similar to the English phrase "Going around in circles". It is yet another idiom born at Kiyomizu-dera.
Pilgrims would circle the main hall, often many hundreds of times, as an act of faith.

Astonishingly, the temple recorded 234 attempts!

Although the stage is 13m high, the survival rate amongst jumpers was a good 85% (landings cushioned by bushes and the gradient of the hillside).
In the Genroku era (元禄 1688-1704) alone 20 jumps were recorded.
Jumping is now prohibited

1) 清水の舞台から飛び降りる

Let's start with the most famous.
"To jump off the stage at Kiyomizu-dera" is similar to the English expression "Taking the plunge"...committing oneself despite a risk of failure.

In Edo times it was believed that if you survived the jump a long-held wish would be granted.

On the east side of Kiyomizu-dera's main hall, on a beam below the latticed shutters, is a long, deep scratch (堂々巡り筋痕).

It was created by the countless rosary beads rubbed against the wood so that worshippers could feel their way around the hall when darkness fell.

THE PILGRIMS' SCRATCH️

Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) has given birth to 2 famous idioms.

The second is...
"Circling the temple hall" , similar to the English phrase "going around in circles".
堂々巡り

Pilgrims would circle the main hall, often many hundreds of times, as an act of faith.

FLOWER TEAHOUSE

Flower Teahouse sits on Ninenzaka (二年坂), part of a hill that climbs from Kōdai-ji (高台寺) to Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺), one of Kyōto's most popular temples.

The landscape is carefully preserved, filled with Taishō period buildings.

https://tea-kyoto.com/flower-general-information

The path is broken into three parts, renamed each time the gradient of the climb increases.

Beginning at Kōdai-ji is the almost flat 'Ichinenzaka' (一年坂 '1 Year Slope'), leading on to 'Ninenzaka' (二年坂 '2 Year Slope'), and finally the steep 'Sannenzaka' (三年坂 '3 Year Slope').

Waiting at the top of the slopes is Kiyomizu-dera.

Kannon would reward these acts of faith by granting one wish

But what if you did not survive the fall?
Well, it was not all bad news.
Your soul would be carried directly to "Kannon's Pure Land", Mount Potalaka (補陀洛 'Fudaraku-san'), in the seas south of India