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:
Kinkakuji Temple

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