Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)

A Rinzai sect Shokoku-ji school temple located in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, with the formal name Higashiyama Jisso-ji. It was originally built as the mountain villa 'Higashiyama-dono' by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, in 1482 CE (Bunmei 14). After Yoshimasa's death, it became a Rinzai temple and was named Jisso-ji after his posthumous Buddhist name, Jisso-in. The principal image is Shaka Nyorai (Buddha Shakyamuni). The Kannon-den (Ginkaku/Silver Pavilion), constructed in 1489 CE (Chojo 3), is a National Treasure and a representative example of Muromachi period tower architecture, forming a pair with the Kinkaku (Rokuon-ji Shari-den/Golden Pavilion). The Tochu-do hall within the precincts is designated as a National Treasure as the oldest existing Shoin-zukuri (study-style) building, having greatly influenced later Shoin-zukuri and tea room architecture. As a mountain villa reflecting the simple and austere beauty characteristic of Higashiyama culture, it is registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site under 'Cultural Properties of Historic Kyoto'.