Silver Pavilion

Its official name is Higashiyama Jisho-ji Temple, and it is one of the sub-temples of Shokoku-ji Temple.
It is said that the name Ginkaku-ji Temple came from the Edo period, when it was called Ginkaku-ji Temple in contrast to Kinkaku-ji Temple.(That is, it is called the “Silver Pavilion” in contrast to the “Golden Pavilion.”)
　It originated as the mountain villa Higashiyamadono, built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. After Yoshimasa's death, it became a Rinzai sect temple and was named Jisho-ji after Yoshimasa's posthumous Buddhist name, Jisho-in.
　Yoshimasa, who became head of the family at the age of nine and the Shogunate at the age of fifteen, spent his entire life projecting his entire aesthetic sense into the creation of a grand mountain villa that reflected the essence of Higashiyama culture in its simplicity and beauty.

I suppose the thing that attracted us to it is simply that it has the most beautiful gardens that we’ve seen yet. The man who built it loved to see the moon, so there is a wonderful 8 foot high concrete cone, which he originally made out of sand. It is for the sole purpose of allowing him to view the moon more clearly. I know it does not have the prestige of the Golden Pavilion, but I think it is beautiful nonetheless.

Coming back to the bus we did a little shopping. There’s a photo here of Bette buying a little bottle of sake. We went to a wonderful tempura restaurant that had shrimp a foot-long. I don’t know how they did it, but it was wonderful.Read more