World and Lore / Kyoto mystery

A Gift of Compassion

The Collection of Tales from Uji contains a story about a poor woman whose frequent trips to Kiyomizu-dera Temple gained her the sympathy of the goddess Kannon, who felt moved to gift her a cloth of silk from her high altar. Though the woman refused the silk three times, Kannon at last prevailed upon her to take it home and have it made into a kimono. This striking kimono brought the woman much good fortune, winning the heart of the fine man who became her husband. Thereafter, the two of them lived a happy, fulfilling life.