Kinkaku-ji Temple of the Golden Pavilion

golden temple

Kinkakuji is a famous tourist spot in Kyoto. Kinkakuji in known as the golden temple, but the official name of this temple is “Rokuonji”. It was originally a villa named Kitayamadai. This zen buddhist temple is a national historic site, and a large number of tourists from all over the world visit this pavilion each year.

This temple’s history dates back to 1397 according to wikipedia. Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu bought this temple. After Yoshimitsu’s death, his son converted this into a Zen temple. Surprisingly this temple has been burned down in the history, and the first incident occured during the Onin war. The second incident happened in 1950, and it was rebuilt in 1955. The reconstructed current temple is supposed to be an exact copy of the original, but it is unclear.

This is a three-story building located in the Rokuonji temple complex. Ginkakuji which is known as the silver pavillion temple is said to have been modeled after Kinkakuji. Kinkakuji overlooks a large beautiful pond. This is a must-see if you plan to visit Japan.

Image is credited by : Image: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot