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The Golden Pavilion, Japan

T

he pavilion is almost certainly the most recognizable temple in Japan as it is totally covered in gold. Shining in the light, the Golden Pavilion, or Kinkakuji, looks like a beautiful jewel box. In 1950, a disrupted Buddhist temple novice burned the 14th-century pavilion to its groundworks. Within five years, however, the Golden Pavilion rose again. On the new roof, appropriately, poles a phoenix. The marquee was originally built as a retirement villa for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who, after withdrawing from public life, exercised power in the background by installing his ten-year-old son as shogun.

When he died, his retreat villa was converted into a temple, in compliance with his wishes. The much-admired pavilion rises in three stories, each having a unusual architectural style and reflecting a different characteristic of the shogun who built it. The first floor is a residential palace, finished with a covered dock for the shogun’s pleasure boat; the second is a Buddhist prayer hall or samurai a house; and the third is a small Zen temple with sliding doors and bell-shaped windows. Set on pillars, the Golden Pavilion extends over the pond, a popular design of the Shinden style during the Heian period of Japanese history. A person approaching sees two pavilions, as the water reflects the image. On the exterior of the graceful building, a layer of shimmering gold leaf creates an unforgettable picture.

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