Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen Buddhist temple in northern Kyoto. The site was originally a villa belonging to a noble family, and in the late fourteenth century it was acquired by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who built a retirement residence there. After his death it was turned into a Zen temple in accordance with his wishes. The three-storey pavilion, whose upper floors are covered in gold leaf, stands beside a pond and reflects in the water. A young monk set fire to it in 1950, and the writer Yukio Mishima later based a novel on the event. The present building is a reconstruction completed in the mid-1950s.
Before and after
- from 5 August 1392 to 12 October 1897Joseon
- 1395Construction of Gyeongbokgung
- from 11 May 1395 to 17 October 1797Duchy of Milan
- 6 June 1395Founding of Seoul
- 1397Construction of Kinkaku-ji Temple
- from 1397 to 1523Kalmar Union
- 15 November 1397Birth of Nicholas V
- 1398Construction of Ferapontov Monastery
- 12 August 1399Battle of the Vorskla River
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 710 CEConstruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque
- from 2 February 962 CE to 6 August 1806Holy Roman Empire
- 990 CEConstruction of Château de Montsoreau
- from 11th century to 18th centuryHouse of Habsburg
- from c. 1113 to 1150Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat
- 1420Construction of Kremlin
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 14th century.