KINKAKUJI - JAPAN
Kinkakuji (Temple of Golden Pavilion) is a strange building: it serves as a residence as well as a Buddhist temple.
In 1397, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu of Muromachi Shogunate founded it as a cottage on Kitayama Hill.
In 1419, after his death, a son transformed it to a Zen temple and renamed it Rokuon-ji from Yoshimitsu's religious name.
The present building dates from 1955 as the pavilion was burnt by a fanatic monk in 1950. The temple, a gilded three-storied
reliquary hall, is situated at the margin of a large pond named Kyokochi Pond. It is typical architecture
of the Muromachi Period (1333 - 1573).
Link: |