銀閣寺

About this photo

This is the Kannonden (Kannon Hall) of Jishoji, known by the name Ginkaku, the Silver Pavilion. In this photo from the album Kyoto Meisho (Famous Sights of Kyoto), published in 1907 (Meiji 40), a gently curving roof tops a two-story pavilion. Tall trees rise behind it, and in front we see a tree with spreading branches and garden stones.

Jishoji was originally a mountain villa that Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, began building in Higashiyama in 1482 (Bunmei 14). The ridgepole of the Kannonden was raised in 1489 (Chokyo 3). Its first floor, called Shinkuden, is built in the style of a residence, and its second floor, called Choonkaku, in the style of a Zen Buddhist hall. Though it is called the Silver Pavilion, it has had no silver leaf since it was built, which a scientific survey in 2007 (Heisei 19) also confirmed. The name Ginkakuji dates from the Edo period and appears in books such as Rakuyo Meishoshu (Famous Places of Kyoto), published in 1658 (Manji 1).

The Kannonden, along with the Togudo, is a National Treasure. In 1994 (Heisei 6) the temple was listed as a World Heritage Site as one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto."

Glossary