---
node: kinkakuji
type: organization
slug: kinkakuji
title: "Kinkaku-ji"
lead: "Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in northern Kyoto, began in 1397 as the retirement villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and became a Zen temple after his death. Today's gold-leafed pavilion is a 1955 reconstruction — the original was burned down in 1950."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
---

## What it was

Kinkaku-ji — the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" in northern Kyoto, formally Rokuon-ji — is a Zen temple of the Rinzai school (Shokoku-ji branch). It was built from 1397 as the retirement villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and converted to a Zen temple after his death in 1408, in accordance with his will.

## Role

The three-story pavilion, its upper two floors covered in gold leaf, overlooks a mirror pond. It is the emblem of Kitayama culture — the Muromachi-era fusion of court and warrior taste.

## Fate

In 1950 a young monk burned the pavilion down, the incident behind Mishima Yukio's novel "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" (1956); the present building is the 1955 reconstruction. In 1994 it became UNESCO World Heritage among the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Today it is one of Japan's most visited sights — and, with its counterpart the Silver Pavilion, shorthand for Muromachi aesthetics.