🏯Tourist Attractions: 🇯🇵 Rokuon-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion)

#JulyDestinations2025
🇯🇵Kyoto, Japan🌍Kyoto, Japan
🟡Kinkaku-ji🌏Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion)
🕰️Construction Date: 1397 (Built by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu during the Muromachi Period)

⌛A golden temple of Japanese Muromachi aesthetics!
✨A unique example of architecture that fused samurai rule with Zen Buddhist thought, it survived the Onin War and the Warring States Period, but was burned down by a novice monk in 1950. 🔥Rebuilt to its original form in 1955, it has become a philosophical symbol of "destruction and rebirth."

🔥An epic construction:
Construction began in 1397. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, converted the temple into a Zen Buddhist temple on the site of his Kitayama Villa. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu mobilized artisans from all seven provinces in Kinai, investing enormous resources. The third coat of lacquer was finished with pure gold leaf, boasting a purity of over 95%. This is how the temple earned its name, Kinkakuji.

It employed the traditional "Kyokura-zukuri" technique—the beams and columns are joined entirely with mortise and tenon joints, without a single nail. It also blended three distinct architectural styles: Shinden-zukuri, Buke-shoin-zukuri, and Zen Buddhist-style hall-zukuri.

The Golden Pavilion, rebuilt after the fire, was based on drawings, photographs, and ancient documents collected during the dismantling and repair work between Meiji 37 and Meiji 39. Construction began on March 22, 1945, and took three years. The inauguration ceremony was held on October 10, 1946. The exterior of the rebuilt Golden Pavilion's second and third floors (including the fence) are completely covered in gold leaf 💰

⭐Must-see details:
▪️Three-story aesthetic code 🎎 (first floor: imperial shinden-zukuri, second floor: samurai shoin-zukuri, third floor: Zen Buddhist temple-zukuri, symbolizing social advancement)
▪️Golden Phoenix on the roof 🔥 (1.3-meter-tall, gilded copper, beak facing southeast, guarding Kyoto)
▪️Rikushu no Matsu 🌲 (five-needle pine trees planted by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, trimmed into the shape of an inverted boat, symbolizing "crossing to the other shore")
▪️Mirror Lake Pond Reflection 🌊 (Inspired by "The Tale of the Heike," the Golden Pavilion in the morning mist resembles a ukiyo-e painting)

Post by 走跳碰 | Jul 31, 2025