Temple of the Golden Pavilion @ Kinkaku-ji @ 金閣寺

Location: 1 Kinkakuji-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto City
Tel: 075-461-0013
How to get there: Kinkakuji can be accessed by direct bus number 101 or 205 from Kyoto Station. A faster variant is taking the Karasuma Subway Line to Kitaoji Station from where the temple can be reached in a short bus or taxi ride.

Kinkakuji Temple also known as Rokuonji Temple (Deer Garden Temple). It is listed as on UNESCO's World Heritage in year 1994. When we reached here, the weather was not on our side. It started to dizzling. However, we were attracted to the gold color of the temple, which is located in the park and the temple reflected on the pond. It does really looks like a golden temple.

We didn't go inside to the temple, as I think only authorized person able to get inside. Nevertheless, we start to take out our camera and taking some photos.

Kinkakuji was originally built in 1397 as a villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408), third Ashikaga Shogun. 11 years after Yoshimitsu's death, the villa was converted into a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai sect by his son, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimochi. Muso Kokushi appointed as abbot, following Yoshimitsu's will.

On 2nd July 1950, the pavilion was burned down by a monk who attempted to commit suicide. He was arrested and during the investigation, his mother was called in to talk to the police. On her way home, she committed suicide by jumping from her train into a river valley. The monk was sentenced to seven years in prison, and released because of mental illness in 1955. He died of other illnesses shortly after in 1956. A fictionalized version of the events is told in Yukio Mishima's 1956 book The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.

The temple was entirely reconstructed in its original form in 1955, extending the gold-foil covering to the lower floors as well.

Besides the Golden Pavilion, one may also visit the garden at its surrounding. You may find the temple, where you can make a prayer here and pull a string on it to ring the bell. If not mistaken, it should be for luck purposes or to make the prayer fulfilled.

One may find more information from http://www.shokoku-ji.or.jp/english/e_kinkakuji/.