The story of how fanatic monk set fire to the Golden Pavilion Kinkaku-ji, was the basis of the novel "The Golden Temple" writer Yukio Mishima Japanese. This happened in 1950, the pavilion and all its treasures were burned. Before this temple is also burned twice during the Onin War in 1467-1477, respectively. Since 1955, the restoration of cultural and historical monument of the drawings and illustrations, even managed to restore decorative elements and painting. Restoration of the building finally completed only in 2003.

Kinkaku-ji - one of the Buddhist temples in the complex Rokuon-ji (in Japanese - "Temple of the deer garden") in the area of ​​China. It was built in the late XIV century as a country house of a retired Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The building of the pavilion is covered really, except for the first floor, sheets of pure gold. During the last restoration they were replaced by thicker. On top is covered with a special gold varnish urushi. The temple is located on an island in Lake Mirror Kёkoti. The Golden Pavilion is a symbol of Kyoto and continues to serve as an object of worship.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, transmits its position of his son, built a residence on the territory of an abandoned monastery and named it "Kitayama Palace." Its main decoration was the three-story pavilion, covered with gold leaf. The first floor was named the Hall of purification, at the center housed a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and become the master of the palace. The second floor is living room and called the Cave of mercy. That its walls are decorated with rich paintings. The third floor looked like a Zen temple in which the relics of the Buddha Sakyamuni, and was named Top of the Void. It was a religious ceremony.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu after his death bequeathed to turn the palace into a monastery, this will was made. Abode was called Rokuon-ji Temple in memory of the first sermon of the Buddha Sakyamuni in the Deer forest. After about a hundred years old grandson Yoshimitsu decided to build in the mountains of Higashiyama Silver Pavilion, which were covered with silver leaf, but the building had remained wooden.

Pavilion Kinkaku-ji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.