In the northwestern corner of Kyoto, Japan, stands a gleaming, gold structure called Kinkaku-ji. Also known as the Golden Pavilion, the building’s exterior is covered with luxurious gold paper while simultaneously embracing harmony and peace through its surrounding zen garden. As one of the famous places to visit in Japan, Kinkaku-ji was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1994. This temple is a registered Special Place of Scenic Beauty that symbolizes Kyoto’s cultural heritage.
Historical Origins
The temple is officially named Rokuon-ji but is nowadays more popularly known as Kinkaku-ji, which translates to “gold tower temple” in Japanese. Its beautiful setting located within Kyoto’s mountain range of Kitayama must have led to its spiritual beginnings. Its origins can be traced back as far as the Heian Period (794-1185) as a region known for crematories, graves, and burial mounds. The site itself was used primarily for rice farming before ownership was passed to the head of the Office of Shinto Worship. During the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), a powerful aristocrat named Saionji Kintsune bought the property from the Office of Shinto Worship and built a villa complex around the 1220s to establish the power of the Saionji Clan. Although Saionji Kintsune was a prominent figure in the imperial court, the collapse of the Kamakura military government led to a decline of the Saionji Clan. The villa therefore fell into disuse and disrepair. While there are no images or photographs of the original villa, written accounts describe it as remarkably novel, compared to the realm of Taoist Immortals or the Pure Land.
In the Muromachi Period (1392-1573), a shogun named Ashikaga Yoshimitsu took over the derelict site and built a villa called Kitayama Dono, or Kitayama Palace in 1397. Yoshimitsu envisioned a Golden Pavilion with surrounding gardens to evoke a paradise on earth. The complex resembles closely what we see today. The Golden Pavilion was originally meant as a pagoda to house Buddhist sacred relics. Yoshimitsu moved military day-to-day government operations of the shogunate to the site. As Yoshimitsu promoted strong trade with China and entertained many official emissaries of the Ming Dynasty, he assembled a large collection of Chinese cultural artifacts. This formed the foundation of Kitayama culture. The Golden Pavilion is therefore a physical representation of this culture, which was ignited by samurai and court nobles’ interest in Rinzai Zen Buddhism brought from China. Yoshimitsu popularized the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism within Japan, which strongly influenced Zen culture and paved the way for other traditional elements of Japanese culture such as ink painting, Zen garden, and tea ceremony. Yoshimitsu practiced Zen Buddhism under Muso Soseki. Following Yoshimitsu’s wishes after his death, Kinkaku-ji was turned into a temple. Muso Soseki was designated the honorary founder and first abbot of the temple.
Exterior and Interior Style
Kinkaku-ji consists of a 3-story wood structure. The third-floor and second-floor exterior is covered with pure gold leaf. In Buddhism, gold is often associated with the Pure Land and represents spiritual purity. The roof is of hinoki wood with shingles of sawara cypress. It is adorned with a phoenix bronze figure at the top, an auspicious symbol in China for divine favor, virtue, and harmony. Each floor of the temple depicts a unique interior style. The first floor (ground floor) is in the Heian palace style (shinden-zukuri). The walls are made of plain wood and white plaster. It contains a large reception area with statues of Buddha and Yoshimitsu. The second floor is in a samurai residential style (buke-zukuri), common during the Kamakura period. This floor has a Buddha Hall, which contains a shrine to Kanon, ordained with painted birds, clouds, and musical instruments on the walls and ceilings. The third floor is in the Chinese Zen temple style (zenshu-butsuden), with lavish gold leaf application similar to the exterior. This floor contains sacred relics of Buddha, with amazing views outside to Mt. Kinugasa.
Destruction and Rebuilding
Kinkaku-ji was highly fortunate to escape the Onin Rebellion, Wars of the Sengoku Period, Kyoto’s Great Fire in the Edo Period, the Abolition of Buddhism in the Meiji Era, and WWII bombings. Despite all of this, the temple met a deadly fate on July 2, 1950, after a monk with mental instability set off a fire around the building, burning the national treasure completely to the ground. According to news reports of the incident, firefighters who arrived at the scene suspected arson soon after the fire and quickly noticed that a young monk, Shoken Hayashi, was missing that day. The police found Hayashi later that day, crouching behind the temple in the Hidaridaimonji mountain, trying to commit suicide by overdosing on Calmotin poison and committing seppuku. Unfortunately for Hayashi, his suicidal attempt was not successful after he was given emergency medical care. In his deposition, his motivation for destroying the temple was to create disorder in society. Hayashi was sentenced to 7 years of prison but was released earlier due to mental illness.
There have been some literary works after the arson incident, notably Yuko Mishima’s book “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” attempt to analyze the monk’s complex feelings towards the temple. Mishima argues that perhaps the monk felt a strong dichotomy between the temple’s beauty and his own dysphoric, unhappy background. Perhaps he felt animosity towards the temple and its magnificence, believing what Buddhist temples should be. This truth, however, was never clarified. The temple was rebuilt in 1955, with National and prefectural support and donations from local businesses. It could be exactly reproduced, thanks to very precise detailed drawings created when it was repaired in the Meiji period.
As the Golden Pavilion experienced complete reconstruction in the 1950s, the gardens are arguably the only “national treasure” on the premises. The garden itself is a beautiful example of Muromachi period garden design, known for integrating interior and exterior with carefully planned views from different vantage points. Some elements of the garden also represent the outside world. The composition of zen rock, bridges, and plants is strategically placed to represent famous places in Chinese and Japanese literature. Visiting Buddhist temples and gardens allows visitors to come into contact with the teachings of Buddhists in a form much more convincing than sermons or lectures on Buddhist doctrine. The fact that this temple has survived a long history has allowed Kinkaku-ji the unique position of propagating Buddhist teaching to the world.
If you find yourself in Kyoto, Kinkaku-ji is a must-see visit. This temple over centuries witnessed the rise and fall of powerful families, was central to the governance of Kyoto, and is an irreplaceable cultural heritage legend. One of the best times to visit is in Autumn, to witness the red fall colors softly reflected in the gold façade. Ginkaku-ji, or Silver Pavilion, was built by Yoshimitsu’s son and is also worthwhile to visit. Although it is not showered in silver, the temple and gardens are still a beautiful sight to behold.
References:
“【北山文化と東山文化の違い】わかりやすく解説!!それぞれの特徴・覚え方！.” 日本史事典.com, 31 Oct. 2018, nihonsi-jiten.com/kitayama-higashiyama-culture/#i-4. Accessed 18 Feb. 2024.
Cartwright, Mark. “Kinkakuji.” World History Encyclopedia, 15 May 2019, www.worldhistory.org/Kinkakuji/.
Nakamura, Fuyubi. “Kinkaku-Ji | History, Description, & Facts | Britannica.” Www.britannica.com, 25 Jan. 2024, www.britannica.com/place/Kinkaku-ji. Accessed 18 Feb. 2024.
Oniwa Garden Magazine. “金閣寺庭園（鹿苑寺庭園） ― 世界遺産／庭の国宝…京都市北区の庭園。 | 庭園情報メディア【おにわさん】.” Oniwa.garden, 28 Feb. 2023, oniwa.garden/kinkakuji-temple-kyoto/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2024.
Shokoku-ji religious corporation. “ABOUT | Kinkaku-Ji.” 臨済宗相国寺派, 13 June 2019, www.shokoku-ji.jp/en/kinkakuji/about/.
Yu, A.C. “The Arson Case of Kinkaku-Ji Temple – Japanese Wiki Corpus.” Japanesewiki.com, 2024, www.japanesewiki.com/history/The%20Arson%20Case%20of%20Kinkaku-ji%20Temple.html. Accessed 18 Feb. 2024.
