✨ Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
Japan
About This Sacred Site
Kinkaku-ji, officially named Rokuon-ji, is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto whose top two floors are entirely covered in gold leaf. Originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, it was converted into a temple after his death. The pavilion is reflected in the surrounding Kyoko-chi (Mirror Pond), creating one of Japan's most iconic images. The temple was infamously burned down by a young monk in 1950 and rebuilt in 1955, an event that inspired Yukio Mishima's novel 'The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.'
Key Facts
- •The top two floors are covered entirely in pure gold leaf
- •Originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
- •Burned down by a monk in 1950 and faithfully reconstructed in 1955
- •Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto
- •The garden is designed in the style of the Muromachi period and features islands symbolizing the Japanese creation myth
Location
Coordinates: 35.0394, 135.7292
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