The glitz of its brilliant interior of Kinkaku-ji(金閣寺) reflects a glorious past it once savored. But I have to say gold doesn't have the gentle dignity of silver which becomes more charming as it ages, and so the temple seemed t be decorated like an old woman with too much makeup, whereas there was real artistry in the fade color of wooden structure perfectly harmonized with its surrounding green of the hills where Gingkgku-ji(銀閣寺) was serenely embraced.
Gingkaku-ji(銀閣寺); shown left and right below.
In 1482 Shogun Ashikaga Yoshmasa constructed a villa here as a genteel rtreat from the turmoil of civil w. The villa's name translates as 'Silver Pavilion,' but the shogun's amition to cover the building with silver was never realised. After Yoshimasa'sdeath, the villa was converted into a temple.
Walkways found after approaching the main gate between tall hedges prior turning sharply into the extensive grounds include meticulously raked cones of white sand (assumingly symbols of a mountain and a lake), tall pines and a pond in front of the temple.
Kingkaku-gi(金閣寺); shown right top.
The famous Golden Temple is one of Japan's best-known sights no matter how I felt about the structure compared to Gingkaku-gi. The original building was constructed in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. His son converted it into a temple. In 1950 a young monk consummted his obsession with the temple by burning it to the ground. The monk's story was fictionalised in Mishima Yukio's The Golden Pavilion.
In 1955, a full reconstruction was completed that exactly followed the original design, but the gold-foil covering was extended to the lower floors.
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