Kinkaku-ji
Kinkaku-ji ( Japanese . 金 閣 寺 , dt. "Golden Pavilion Temple"), actually Rokuon-ji ( 鹿苑 寺 , dt. "Rehgarten Temple"), is a Buddhist temple in the northwest of the Japanese city of Kyoto .
The temple complex is known for the Sharids ( 舎 利 殿 , "reliquary hall"), the upper floors of which are completely covered with gold leaf and which is therefore referred to as kinkaku ( 金 閣 ), "golden pavilion". Because of the popularity of the pavilion, the name Kinkaku-ji is now used for the entire complex.
Historical context
During the Muromachi period , at the end of the 14th century, medieval Japan experienced one of the most politically and economically stable phases under the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu . This historical section thus provided the breeding ground for one of the most flourishing and innovative cultural epochs in Japanese history, the so-called Kitayama culture ( 北山 文化 , Kitayama bunka ).
The rise of the Ashikaga
1331 heralded Emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339) with his kenmu restoration the decline of the Kamakura - Shogunate and thus created a real transformation of economic and political conditions. A year later, in 1332, he conquered Kyōto together with the military leader Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) and finally struck down the Kamakura shogunate. Divergent interests between Go-Daigo and Ashikaga Takauji led to fighting between the emperor and the military leader in 1335. But the victory lay with the Ashikaga family. Ashikaga Takauji managed to take Kyōto in 1336 and two years later to obtain the title of Shogun. Go-Daigo fled with his followers to Yoshino in the south of the capital and established the "Südhof" there. Only after 60 years (1392) could the resulting war between the so-called “North and South Dynasties” be settled. With the end of the fighting came a redistribution of political power. The most fundamental change was the final political disempowerment of the court in favor of the new shogunate and its vassals. His seat was no longer in Kamakura, but in the Muromachi district of Kyoto. Nevertheless, the Ashikaga shogunate remained largely an unstable warrior hegemony and thus only a temporary political solution in the long term.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
With Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408), the grandson of Takauji and thus the third Shogun of the Ashikaga dynasty, one of the most culturally remarkable periods of the Japanese Middle Ages began.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu succeeded in ensuring a period of relative stability and inner peace, despite the constantly fluctuating balance of power. Appointed shogun in childhood and exposed to numerous military problems at a young age, Yoshimitsu increasingly committed himself to cultural areas and developed into a great patron of the arts. Always striving for prestige, Yoshimitsu used religion and lavish luxury to raise his social status. Under him the so-called Kitayama culture developed, the climax of which can be placed at the end of his reign (around 1392).
Cultural background
The Kitayama culture
The cultural heyday in the 14th century is named after Yoshimitsu's country house ( 北山 kitayama , " north mountain"). The success of the Kitayama culture is primarily based on its cross-class orientation. In this way, not only did the courtly elite benefit from their arts, but the petty bourgeoisie could also gain prestige and fame. The military aristocracy in particular devoted itself increasingly to the fine arts. Emulating the courtly traditions and norms, the interest and the space for classical arts and crafts, which previously were mostly reserved for the court nobility and the clergy, grew. Mixed with currents of Chinese culture, the arts that are now considered "traditionally Japanese", such as the Nō theater, the tea ceremony , ink painting ( 水墨 , suiboku ) and landscape gardening , developed during the Kitayama culture .
With increasing cultural influences from China (Yoshimitsu's renewed trade agreement with the neighboring superpower ensured abundant technical, artistic and religious imports), the role of the Zen monasteries grew at the same time .
The role of Buddhism
Already in the early Japanese Middle Ages, during the rule of the Hōjō rulers in Kamakura (13th century), the warrior aristocracy cultivated a remarkable religious zeal. Zen Buddhism , in particular , gained great popularity as its principles were reflected in the ideals of the military elite. Many men of the warlike leadership retreated to monasteries after their political careers in search of calm and stability. On the other hand, the monasteries represented a pool of art, culture and science. Clergymen often served the military as advisors and scribes. With the increased exchange between China and Japan under Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, both the spread of elaborate arts, such as literature and architecture, as well as the number of Zen temples in Japan increased. Yoshimitsu himself found shelter in a Zen monastery for a short time in his childhood and was always advised by clergy from the Zen school in his later life. It can be seen as a sign of his benevolence towards Zen that he built the temple complex in which the "Golden Pavilion" is located.
Kinkaku-ji
Emergence
In 1394, at the age of 37, Yoshimitsu laid down the office of Shogun in favor of his son and from then on worked as Grand Chancellor. Free of official political obligations, he concentrated primarily on building his retirement home in the years that followed. He took over the dilapidated palace of the Saionji clan - part of the northern branch of the Fujiwara family - in northern Kyoto, which he rebuilt and renovated. Known as the Kitayama Palace ( 北山 大 , Kitayamadai ), this became the headquarters of the former Shogun. However, Yoshimitsu paid particular attention to the construction of the associated pavilion. In 1397 he had the so-called Kinkaku-ji built as his memorial. The "Golden Pavilion" originally served as a reliquary hall (Japanese shariden ) and was built near the Kitayama Palace. Both buildings belong to the Rinzai Zen temple complex Shōkoku-ji . Founding and administration is attributed to the close confidante Yoshimutsu and Zen master Musō Soseki (1275-1351).
architecture
The entire architecture combines different Japanese styles and is at the same time influenced by Chinese building elements. The fragile pavilion essentially consists of three floors of different styles, surrounded by round balconies.
The ground floor is based on the palace style of the Fujiwara period ( 寝殿 造 , shinden-zukuri style). Known as Hōsui-in ( 法 水 院 , "Temple of Dharma Water"), this part of the building reflects the classically elegant style of the Heian period. Inside you will find one of the greatest treasures of the Kinkaku-ji, the Amida triad (also Shakyamuni triad).
Based on the construction of samurai houses ( 武 家 造 , buke-zukuri style ), the first floor, the so-called Chōondō ( 潮音洞 , "grotto of the sounds of waves"), can be stylistically dated to the Kamakura period. This floor houses representations of the female bodhisattva Kannon .
The second floor corresponds to the style of Chinese Zen temples ( karayo style), accordingly it is referred to as Kukkyōchō ("overwhelming peak"). On this ornate floor with the semicircular windows there are various bodhisattva images.
The roofs are slightly curved outwards, in the style of the pagodas . Low ceiling heights and narrow columns also underline the filigree look of the “Golden Pavilion”.
Famous for their exterior cladding, the two upper floors are painted with varnish and plated with pure gold. The building is crowned with a golden Fenghuang , a legendary bird, often linked to Chinese mythology.
The gold plating gives the pavilion its name and lets it literally shine. If sunlight hits the construction, the kinkaku-ji unfolds its real charm. When the light shines in, the gold shines brightly on the walls of the construction, is reflected in the pond in front of it and makes the famous aura of the Golden Pavilion obvious to the viewer. It is said that the outer gold cladding was only added later, years after Yoshimitsu's death, as the third Ashikaga shogun had planned while he was still alive.
landscape
The "Golden Pavilion" is located in the mountain-lined north-west of Kyoto, in the Kita-ku district .
The Kinkaku-ji is located on the edge of a large lake, the Kyōkochi Pond, surrounded by a spacious green area that is mainly planted with trees and bushes. Deliberately embedded in its natural surroundings, the pavilion does not stand out brightly, but nestles discreetly into the park landscape. This corresponds to the aesthetic sense of the Muromachi period. According to this, the gardens and temples should illustrate the Buddhist worldview, blend in with the natural environment as smoothly and as smoothly as possible and thus reflect a harmonious relationship between nature and people.
The kinkaku-ji after the 14th century
After Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's death in 1408, his son converted the private property into a temple of the Rinzai sect - at the request of his father.
During the Ōnin Wars (1467–1477), most of the temples belonging to Shokoku-ji burned down several times, but the pavilion survived the fighting.
During the Meiji period , the Rokuon-ji and with it the "Golden Pavilion" lost its financial support, but could be reopened to the public in 1894 thanks to the efforts of the abbots.
However, almost 60 years later, on July 2, 1950, the Kinkaku-ji fell victim to arson by a Buddhist cleric who could not bear the beauty of the pavilion. The writer Mishima Yukio recorded this event in 1956 in his book "Kinkakuji" (German: The Temple Fire , 1961). In 1955 it was possible to reconstruct an exact replica of the "Golden Pavilion" and to rebuild the Kinkaku-ji, although its status as a national treasure was lost. During restoration work in 1987, the walls were repaired with new paint and the gold plating renewed.
In 1956 the gardens were declared a Special Historic Site ( tokubetsu shiseki ). Since 1994, the Kinkaku-ji along with other sites belongs to the UNESCO - World Heritage " Historic Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) ". Even today, the "Golden Pavilion" is a popular tourist destination in Kyoto. The popularity of the site is largely used to keep the importance and history of Buddhism in the minds of visitors.
Timetable
- 1397 construction of the "Golden Pavilion"
- 1408 Conversion to the Rinzai temple complex
- 1467–1477 Ōnin Wars, destruction of a large part of the temple complex
- 1894 reopening of the temple after a financial crisis
- 1950 The "Golden Pavilion" is destroyed by arson
- 1955 rebuilding of the Kinkaku-ji
- 1987 restoration work
- 1994 Designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
literature
- Hall, John Whitney: The Japanese Empire. 14. Edition Frankfurt / M .: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag 1968 (Fischer Weltgeschichte, Volume 20)
- Hall, John Whitney, Toyoda Takeshi: Japan in the Muromachi Age. Berkeley et al. a., Univ. of California Pr., 1977
- Halpern, Erwin, Immoos Thomas: Japan. Temples, gardens and palaces. Introduction to history and culture and guide to the art sites in Japan. 4th edition 1982. Cologne: Verlag DuMont Schauberg 1974
- Illik, Drahomir: Japanese Architecture. Prague: Artia Verlag 1970
- Inoue, Mitsuo: Space in Japanese architecture, New York a. a., Weatherhill, 1985
- Itasaka, Gen (Ed.): Kōdansha Encyclopedia of Japan, Tokyo Kōdansha Ltd. And New York: Kōdansha International Ltd. 1983 (Volume I and IV)
- McKelway, Matthew Philip: Capitalscapes. Folding screens and political imagination in late medieval Kyoto, Honolulu, Univ. of Hawaii Press, 2006
- Paine, Robert T .: The art and architecture of Japan, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Penguin Books, 1974
- Plutschow, Herbert E .: Rediscovering Rikyu and the beginnings of the Japanese tea ceremony, Folkestone, Global Oriental, 2003
- Sansom, George: A History of Japan 1334-1615. First Tuttle Edition, 1974, Sixth Printing, 1987. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc. (Volume II)
- Souyri, Pierre: The world turned upside down. Medieval Japanese society, New York, Columbia Univ. Press, 2001
- Stanley-Baker, Joan: Japanese art, London, Thames and Hudson, 1984
- Yoshida, Tetsuro: Japanese Architecture. Tübingen: Verlag Ernst Wasmuth 1952
See also
- Ginkaku-ji with the Silver Pavilion
Web links
- Kinkaku-ji website (Japanese)
- Hanami Web - Kinkakuji (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Albert Borowitz: Terrorism for Self-glorification: The Herostratos Syndrome . Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio 2005, ISBN 0-87338-818-6 , pp. 50 (English, 190 p., Limited preview in Google book search).
Coordinates: 35 ° 2 ′ 22.2 " N , 135 ° 43 ′ 45.8" E