Kinkakuji burned down several times during the Onin War. In 1950, the Golden Pavilion burned again, this time by a fanatical monk. A fictionalized version of the events is told in Yukio Mishima's 1956 book The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.
The present temple structure dates from 1955, which was rebuilt true to the original except for a significant enhancement: both upper stories are covered in gold leaf, in accordance with Ashikaga's original intentions. In 1987, the temple was re-covered in gold leaf five times thicker than the original coating!
The Golden Pavilion is set in a magnificent Japanese strolling garden (kaiyû-shiki). The pond in front of it is called Kyôko-chi (Mirror Pond). There are many islands and stones on the pond that represent the Buddhist creation story.