Golden Pavilion Temple was originally build in 1397 to serve as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It was his son who converted the building into a Zen temple.

The Golden Pavilion is a three story building. The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf. The pavilion functions as a shariden, housing relics of teh Buddha (Buddha’s ashes).

In 1950, the pavilion was burned down by a monk, who them attempted suicide on the hill behind the building. He survived, but during the investigation after the monk’s arrest, his mother was called in to talk with 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; he died of illness during his imprisonment. At that time, the statue of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was burned.

The present structure dates from 1955.

 

We enjoyed more visit of Silver Pavilion. This place was too touristy...