| Ginkaku-ji / Jisho-ji | 銀閣寺・慈照寺 |
| Kyoto (美濃加茂市) | March 27, 2022 |
About Ginkaku-ji
Ginkaku-ji, also known as the Silver Pavilion in English, is the more common name for Jisho-ji. It is a Rinzai sect Zen temple on the east side of Kyoto.
The temple was built during the Muromachi Period by Ashikaga Yoshimasa as a retirement villa. Some people hear the name and immediately think of the shinier, more famous Kinkaku-ji, but it is a different temple entirely, though there is a connection. Kinkaku-ji was built by Yoshimasa’s grandfather and he used it as a model for his Ginkaku-ji
My Visit
Like a lot of places I visit, I wanted to go here for a long time. I go to Kyoto at least once a year, but alas, Kyoto has a lot of cool history, which has resulted in an abundance of interesting spots to visit.
Ginkaku-ji doesn’t have the startling effect that Kinkaku-ji has. It’s much more low-key. This is probably a good point that it’s also one of the many structures in Kyoto that are good representatives of Higashiyama culture. If you think of aesthetics and things like Zen, wabi-sabi, ikebana, tea ceremony, etc, that’s Higashiyama culture.
The pavilion is surrounded by a large garden that features and garden, and walkways up slopes, and more. It’s all very thoughtfully laid out and, in my opinion, more interesting that the garden at Kinkaku-ji.
Links
Homepage (JP)
