Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple formally known as Rokuonji.
In 1397 construction started on the Golden Pavilion as part of a new residence for the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Kinkakuji was converted into a Zen temple after Yoshimitsu's death in 1408.
The Golden Pavilion functions as a shrine, housing sacred relics of the Buddha and is covered in gold leaf.
The present building dates from 1955 as the pavilion was burnt by a fanatic monk in 1950. This act scandalized the country, and became the central episode of Yukio Mishima's novel, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.
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