Here is another great photo of the golden pavilion up close. The building is absolutely marvelous to look at. What I found most amazing is the calmness of the environment and the way the culture and majesty seems to take your breath away.
Here is a bit of history that I discovered on a website called Real Japanese Gardens; The property/estate was constructed as a resting or retirement grounds for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397. In 1408 shortly after Yoshimitsu died the estate was turned into a Zen temple. Later when the Onin war was going on the temple caught fire and was destroyed. Most of the temple was still standing miraculously (maybe because much of it is gold) and restored at a later date only to be caught fire again by a young novice monk in 1950. Then in 1955 it was restored. Today it stands just as you see it in the photo a magnificent site to be seen. Below you can see some of the beautiful gardens that surround the property.
