27.12.08

Feature Foto #2

Photo #2 is a shot of the famous temple Rokuon-ji, more commonly called "Kinkaku-ji," or the "Golden Pavillion Temple" in Kyoto. This site was originally constructed in 1397 during the Muromachi period, to be used as a retirement home for Yoshimitsu Ashikaga on his "Kitayama" estate. The Shogun's son converted the building into a Zen temple. In 1950 the temple was severely damaged in a fire that was started by a reckless monk's suicide-attempt gone wrong; as a result, the building we see in this photo is quite new, and dates from the 1950s. The temple houses Buddha's ashes and gets its stunning beauty from its coating of pure gold leaf.

If you have Google Earth, download Kinkaku-ji's placemarker.

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