A Symphony of Colors — The Golden Glow of the Kinkakuji-Temple

The golden glow of the Kinkaku-ji Temple comes from actual gold leaves plated on the exterior walls of its upper levels. My heart leapt as I saw it luminesce in glory and grace. Meaning “the golden pavilion,” the Kinkaku-ji Temple came from the year 1397, as originally the villa of the powerful statesman Saionji Kintsune. In this year, the Ashikaga shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu purchased this estate from the Saionji family. The Kinkaku-ji was constructed in the year 1399 by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. In accordance with his wish, his son converted it into a Zen temple. This original temple had always been covered in gold leaves. Like so many of Japan’s treasured heritage buildings, Kinkaku-ji Temple suffered from fire destruction. During the Onin War, all of the buildings in the estate were burned down, but Kinkaku-ji was spared. Unfortunately, in 1950, a monk committed arson, resulting in the complete destruction of the Kinkaku-ji Temple, the golden pavilion itself. The current Kinkaku-ji Temple was rebuilt in 1955. To prevent confusion, the Kinkaku-ji Temple has an official name of Rokuon-ji, meaning “deer garden temple.” Needless to say, it acquired the common name of Kinkaku-ji because of its golden pavilion. All of the touring at the Kinkaku-ji Temple are done outdoors. As far as I could remember, there was no entry into the temple itself. I arrived at the time it opened, a little after 9am. Once I entered the garden, I proceeded in a very long queue that took up all of the touring route. There are many opportunities for taking photographs at different viewing points, however, so there is really no need to fight with other tourists over viewing spots. #japan #kinkaku-ji #temple #zen #zentemple #buddhism #unesco #kyoto #rokuonji #ashikaga #redfoliage #travel#familytravel