The Golden Pavilion known in Japanese as Kinkaku-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple. Its two top floors are completely covered in gold leaf. It was a retirement villa of a shogun and became a Zen temple after his death in the early 1400's. Since that time the building burnt many times mainly during internal wars. The last time it was restored was in 1955 after a fanatical monk set fire to it. Each floor uses a different traditional style of Japanese architecture. The Pavilion overlooks the Kyokochi Pond (Mirror Pond) which beautifully reflects the Pavilion. There are ten small islets in the Kyokochi Pond. The whole Temple complex known as Rokuon-ji (Deer Garden Temple) is where the Golden Pavilion is located.
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