Kinkakuji Temple Kyoto

Kinkakuji Temple　(Golden Pavilion) 金閣寺

Overview

Kinkakuji Temple

Kinkakuji Temple, the Golden Pavilion, is perhaps the most famous temple in Japan.

Kinkakuji, also known as Rokuon-ji, is a Zen Buddhist temple in northwest Kyoto. It is designated both as a National Special Historic Site and a National Special Landscape. It is moreover a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The top two floors of the main building are covered in gold leaf, thus the name.

It was originally the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. He stipulated in his will that following his death, it would become a zen temple.

His family bought the land - originally yet another villa - in 1397 C.E. and then began the process of turning it into the Yoshimitsu's villa.

The most well-known structure on the vast grounds sits in front of a pond. This is the only building left of the original retirement complex, and is the golden pavilion.

Kinkakuji has burned down several times. During the Onin War, it was burned twice, and, more recently, a mad monk torched the temple in 1950 (which became the basis for Yukio Mishima's novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion). The current structure was rebuilt and completed in 1955.

Within the complex there is also the lovely Sekkatei Teahouse.

For those riding to the temple, parking is available across the street from the main entrance gate.

Relevant Routes

Kinkakuji Temple is on the Kinkakuji to Myoshinji Temple Route. 

Address

1 Kinkaku-ji-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto
Telephone : 075 461 0013

Hours

9:00 - 17:00

Map

Kinkakuji Temple Map

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