Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), or the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, formally known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺), or the Deer Garden Temple, was the retirement villa of the Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. After his death, it became a the branch temple of the Rinzai-sect Zen temple of Shōkoku-ji.
During the Kamakura period this land was the site of a villa of the aristocrat Saionji Kintsune, known as Kitayamadai. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利 義満), the third Ashikaga shogun (1368-1394) took over the site from the Saionji family period and built his villa, which he called Kitayamadono, in 1397. The complex, whose gardens and architecture centered around a Golden Pavilion, became the center of Kitayama Bunka (北山文化). Kitayama Bunka, or the Kitayama culture of the Muromachi period (室町時代), saw the spread of Song, Yuan and Ming dynasty influences across the flourishing arts and into Japanese society. The grounds were designed according to descriptions of the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida, intending to illustrate a harmony between heaven and earth. Turned into a temple, under the direction of abbot Musō Soseki (夢窓 疎石), the name Rokuon-ji was taken from the first two characters of the shogun's posthumous name.
During the Ōnin War (1467–1477), all the buildings except for the Golden Pavilion (金閣), or kinkaku, a three-story, gold-leaf covered pavilion were burned down. The pavilion might have survived a civil war, but it couldn't survive Hayashi Yoken, a mentally ill monk who burned it down in 1950. An exact replicate was reconstructed in 1955.
Kinkaku-ji, along with 16 other locations across Kyōto, Uji and Ōtsu, comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities), designated in 1994.
Tags: Sōmon gate somon main gate Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion Rokuon-ji 鹿苑寺 Deer Garden Temple Kinkakuji-chō Kita-ku Kita 北区 北 UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto Kyoto 京都 Kyōto Kyoto Prefecture 京都府 Kyōto-fu Kyoto-fu Keihanshin 京阪神 けいはんしん Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe Kansai region 関西地方 Kansai-chihō Kansai Kansai-chiho Kinki region 近畿地方 Kinki-chihō Kinki-chiho Japan Nihon Nippon 日本国 日本 Honshu Honshū
The bell housed in the Shōrō at Kinkaku-ji was originally owned by the Saionji family (西園寺家), a Japanese kuge who used to own this land, and is thought to date back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333).
Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), or the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, formally known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺), or the Deer Garden Temple, was the retirement villa of the Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. After his death, it became a the branch temple of the Rinzai-sect Zen temple of Shōkoku-ji.
During the Kamakura period this land was the site of a villa of the aristocrat Saionji Kintsune, known as Kitayamadai. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利 義満), the third Ashikaga shogun (1368-1394) took over the site from the Saionji family period and built his villa, which he called Kitayamadono, in 1397. The complex, whose gardens and architecture centered around a Golden Pavilion, became the center of Kitayama Bunka (北山文化). Kitayama Bunka, or the Kitayama culture of the Muromachi period (室町時代), saw the spread of Song, Yuan and Ming dynasty influences across the flourishing arts and into Japanese society. The grounds were designed according to descriptions of the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida, intending to illustrate a harmony between heaven and earth. Turned into a temple, under the direction of abbot Musō Soseki (夢窓 疎石), the name Rokuon-ji was taken from the first two characters of the shogun's posthumous name.
During the Ōnin War (1467–1477), all the buildings except for the Golden Pavilion (金閣), or kinkaku, a three-story, gold-leaf covered pavilion were burned down. The pavilion might have survived a civil war, but it couldn't survive Hayashi Yoken, a mentally ill monk who burned it down in 1950. An exact replicate was reconstructed in 1955.
Kinkaku-ji, along with 16 other locations across Kyōto, Uji and Ōtsu, comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities), designated in 1994.
Tags: Shōrō shoro bell tower shoro bell bell temple bell Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion Rokuon-ji 鹿苑寺 Deer Garden Temple Kinkakuji-chō Kita-ku Kita 北区 北 UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto Kyoto 京都 Kyōto Kyoto Prefecture 京都府 Kyōto-fu Kyoto-fu Keihanshin 京阪神 けいはんしん Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe Kansai region 関西地方 Kansai-chihō Kansai Kansai-chiho Kinki region 近畿地方 Kinki-chihō Kinki-chiho Japan Nihon Nippon 日本国 日本 Honshu Honshū
The Kuri, or Kitchen and Living Quarters, of Kinkaku-ji, with its distinctive Zen architecture, is thought to have been constructed during the Meiô and Bunki eras (1492-1504).
Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), or the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, formally known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺), or the Deer Garden Temple, was the retirement villa of the Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. After his death, it became a the branch temple of the Rinzai-sect Zen temple of Shōkoku-ji.
During the Kamakura period this land was the site of a villa of the aristocrat Saionji Kintsune, known as Kitayamadai. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利 義満), the third Ashikaga shogun (1368-1394) took over the site from the Saionji family period and built his villa, which he called Kitayamadono, in 1397. The complex, whose gardens and architecture centered around a Golden Pavilion, became the center of Kitayama Bunka (北山文化). Kitayama Bunka, or the Kitayama culture of the Muromachi period (室町時代), saw the spread of Song, Yuan and Ming dynasty influences across the flourishing arts and into Japanese society. The grounds were designed according to descriptions of the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida, intending to illustrate a harmony between heaven and earth. Turned into a temple, under the direction of abbot Musō Soseki (夢窓 疎石), the name Rokuon-ji was taken from the first two characters of the shogun's posthumous name.
During the Ōnin War (1467–1477), all the buildings except for the Golden Pavilion (金閣), or kinkaku, a three-story, gold-leaf covered pavilion were burned down. The pavilion might have survived a civil war, but it couldn't survive Hayashi Yoken, a mentally ill monk who burned it down in 1950. An exact replicate was reconstructed in 1955.
Kinkaku-ji, along with 16 other locations across Kyōto, Uji and Ōtsu, comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities), designated in 1994.
Tags: Kuri Kitchen and Living Quarters Zen Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion Rokuon-ji 鹿苑寺 Deer Garden Temple Kinkakuji-chō Kita-ku Kita 北区 北 UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto Kyoto 京都 Kyōto Kyoto Prefecture 京都府 Kyōto-fu Kyoto-fu Keihanshin 京阪神 けいはんしん Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe Kansai region 関西地方 Kansai-chihō Kansai Kansai-chiho Kinki region 近畿地方 Kinki-chihō Kinki-chiho Japan Nihon Nippon 日本国 日本 Honshu Honshū
Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), or the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, formally known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺), or the Deer Garden Temple, was the retirement villa of the Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. After his death, it became a the branch temple of the Rinzai-sect Zen temple of Shōkoku-ji.
During the Kamakura period this land was the site of a villa of the aristocrat Saionji Kintsune, known as Kitayamadai. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利 義満), the third Ashikaga shogun (1368-1394) took over the site from the Saionji family period and built his villa, which he called Kitayamadono, in 1397. The complex, whose gardens and architecture centered around a Golden Pavilion, became the center of Kitayama Bunka (北山文化). Kitayama Bunka, or the Kitayama culture of the Muromachi period (室町時代), saw the spread of Song, Yuan and Ming dynasty influences across the flourishing arts and into Japanese society. The grounds were designed according to descriptions of the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida, intending to illustrate a harmony between heaven and earth. Turned into a temple, under the direction of abbot Musō Soseki (夢窓 疎石), the name Rokuon-ji was taken from the first two characters of the shogun's posthumous name.
During the Ōnin War (1467–1477), all the buildings except for Kinkaku (金閣), or the Golden Pavilion. The pavilion might have survived a civil war, but it couldn't survive Hayashi Yoken, a mentally ill monk who burned it down in 1950. An exact replicate was reconstructed in 1955.
The top two stories are of the three-story building are coated with lacquered (urushi) and completely covered in gold leaf. Each story uses a different architectural style. The first floor, known as the Hōusiin, or the "The Chamber of Dharma Waters," is rendered in shinden-zukuri style, reminiscent of the residential style of the 11th century Heian imperial aristocracy. Its external natural wood pillars and white plaster walls complement the gilded upper stories. Images of the Buddha Shakyamuni and Ashinaga Yoshimitsu are stored in the first floor. The second floor, called the Chōondō, or "The Tower of Sound Waves," is built in buke-zukuri style, typically reserved for samurai residences. Inside is a seated Kannon Bodhisattva surrounded by statues of the Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō). The third floor , known as the Kukkyōchō, or Superb Annex, is built in traditional Chinese cha'an (Zen) style, also known as zenshu-butsuden-zukuri. The roof is thickly shingled with thin boards of sawara (Japanese cypress) and crowned with a gilded finial in the form of a phoenix.
The pavilion itself extends over the 6,600 square-meter Kyōko-chi (鏡湖池), or Mirror Pond. The largest islet in the pond represents the Japanese islands. The four stones forming a straight line in the pond near the pavilion are intended to represent sailboats anchored at night, bound for the Isle of Eternal Life in Chinese mythology.
Kinkaku-ji, along with 16 other locations across Kyōto, Uji and Ōtsu, comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities), designated in 1994.
Tags: Golden Pavilion pavilion 金閣 kinkaku Kyōko-chi Kyoko-chi 鏡湖池 Mirror Pond pond Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion Rokuon-ji 鹿苑寺 Deer Garden Temple Kinkakuji-chō Kita-ku Kita 北区 北 UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto Kyoto 京都 Kyōto Kyoto Prefecture 京都府 Kyōto-fu Kyoto-fu Keihanshin 京阪神 けいはんしん Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe Kansai region 関西地方 Kansai-chihō Kansai Kansai-chiho Kinki region 近畿地方 Kinki-chihō Kinki-chiho Japan Nihon Nippon 日本国 日本 Honshu Honshū
Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), or the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, formally known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺), or the Deer Garden Temple, was the retirement villa of the Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. After his death, it became a the branch temple of the Rinzai-sect Zen temple of Shōkoku-ji.
During the Kamakura period this land was the site of a villa of the aristocrat Saionji Kintsune, known as Kitayamadai. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利 義満), the third Ashikaga shogun (1368-1394) took over the site from the Saionji family period and built his villa, which he called Kitayamadono, in 1397. The complex, whose gardens and architecture centered around a Golden Pavilion, became the center of Kitayama Bunka (北山文化). Kitayama Bunka, or the Kitayama culture of the Muromachi period (室町時代), saw the spread of Song, Yuan and Ming dynasty influences across the flourishing arts and into Japanese society. The grounds were designed according to descriptions of the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida, intending to illustrate a harmony between heaven and earth. Turned into a temple, under the direction of abbot Musō Soseki (夢窓 疎石), the name Rokuon-ji was taken from the first two characters of the shogun's posthumous name.
During the Ōnin War (1467–1477), all the buildings except for Kinkaku (金閣), or the Golden Pavilion. The pavilion might have survived a civil war, but it couldn't survive Hayashi Yoken, a mentally ill monk who burned it down in 1950. An exact replicate was reconstructed in 1955.
The top two stories are of the three-story building are coated with lacquered (urushi) and completely covered in gold leaf. Each story uses a different architectural style. The first floor, known as the Hōusiin, or the "The Chamber of Dharma Waters," is rendered in shinden-zukuri style, reminiscent of the residential style of the 11th century Heian imperial aristocracy. Its external natural wood pillars and white plaster walls complement the gilded upper stories. Images of the Buddha Shakyamuni and Ashinaga Yoshimitsu are stored in the first floor. The second floor, called the Chōondō, or "The Tower of Sound Waves," is built in buke-zukuri style, typically reserved for samurai residences. Inside is a seated Kannon Bodhisattva surrounded by statues of the Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō). The third floor , known as the Kukkyōchō, or Superb Annex, is built in traditional Chinese cha'an (Zen) style, also known as zenshu-butsuden-zukuri. The roof is thickly shingled with thin boards of sawara (Japanese cypress) and crowned with a gilded finial in the form of a phoenix.
The pavilion itself extends over the 6,600 square-meter Kyōko-chi (鏡湖池), or Mirror Pond. The largest islet in the pond represents the Japanese islands. The four stones forming a straight line in the pond near the pavilion are intended to represent sailboats anchored at night, bound for the Isle of Eternal Life in Chinese mythology.
Kinkaku-ji, along with 16 other locations across Kyōto, Uji and Ōtsu, comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities), designated in 1994.
Tags: Golden Pavilion pavilion 金閣 kinkaku Kyōko-chi Kyoko-chi 鏡湖池 Mirror Pond pond Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion Rokuon-ji 鹿苑寺 Deer Garden Temple Kinkakuji-chō Kita-ku Kita 北区 北 UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto Kyoto 京都 Kyōto Kyoto Prefecture 京都府 Kyōto-fu Kyoto-fu Keihanshin 京阪神 けいはんしん Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe Kansai region 関西地方 Kansai-chihō Kansai Kansai-chiho Kinki region 近畿地方 Kinki-chihō Kinki-chiho Japan Nihon Nippon 日本国 日本 Honshu Honshū