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Kyoto Kinkakuji Temple

Icon of Kyoto

Kinkakuji Temple is the most iconic site in Kyoto. It was originally the villa of General Ashikaga Yoshimitsu during the Muromachi period, but after his death, it was transformed into a Buddhist temple and named Rokuon-ji Temple. The Kinkakuji Temple was rebuilt in 1955 and is decorated with more than 10,000 gold leafs inside and outside, with a golden bronze phoenix statue at the top.

Kinkakuji Temple 金閣寺 is located at the foot of Mount Kinugasa, north of Kyoto City, and belongs to the Rinzai sect, Shokoku-ji school of Zen Buddhism in Japan. The temple was originally named Rokuon-ji Temple, but in 1397, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third Shogun, built a villa for himself here. After his death, the villa was converted into a temple.

Manywhere Trivia:
Kinkakuji means “Temple of the Golden Pavilion”.

The Kinkakuji Temple is centered on a Golden Pavilion, and the three-story pavilion uses three different construction styles: The first floor, called The Chamber of Dharma Waters 法水院, is evocative of the Shinden palace style, with a seated statue of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu; the second floor has a statue of Kannon Bosatsu and the Four Heavenly Kings housed in The Tower of Sound Waves 潮音洞, which is built in the style of warrior aristocrats. The third floor, Cupola of the Ultimate 究竟頂, is built in the style of Zen Buddhism, and dedicated to the relics of Sakyamuni Buddha. On the top of the pagoda-shaped Golden Pavilion, there is an exquisitely crafted golden phoenix ornament.

Golden Phoenix at the Top of the Pavilion

In 1950, a trainee monk at Kinkakuji Temple set fire to the Golden Pavilion, causing a great shock in Japan, which is known as the Kinkakuji Arson Incident. The Kinkakuji Temple was reconstructed in 1955.

The Kyoko-chi Pond 鏡湖池 in front of the Golden Pavilion is a masterpiece of a garden from the Muromachi period, and the many islands in the turquoise waters surrounding the Golden Pavilion are symbolic of the Buddhist Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Golden Pavilion and the Reflection in Kyoko-chi Pond is the most iconic attraction in Kyoto.

Manywhere Tips:
Don’t be fooled by the Instagram pictures of Kinkakuji, it’s super crowded every day.

Bell Tower in the Maple Grove

In addition to Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion and Kyoko-chi Pond, Kinkaku-ji Temple is also home to Rikusyu no Matsu 陸舟の松, Sekka-tei Pavilion 夕佳亭, and the White Snake Mound 白蛇の塚. The Rikusyu no Matsu, located in the abbot’s garden of Kinkaku-ji Temple, is 600 years old and is named after the boat-shaped pine tree planted by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu himself. On the top of the slope, there is Sekka-tei Pavilion, a place to watch the setting sun, a wooden pavilion built in the Meiji period, famous for its niche pillars made of Nanten wood.