Colors have always been a substantial influence on a person’s mood. In fact, colors can carry specific meanings. Color is not just about aesthetics—it also communicates specific information. The Golden Pavilion is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. In Japanese culture, golden means something very special. Heaven. Westerns, on the contrary, link the same with something very materialistic. Money. But gold is not the only color that has very different meaning in Japan. In Easter culture, Black symbolizes the combination of all colors of the universe. Black means wealth, health, and prosperity. For example, the Black Belt is the beginning of true achievement, understanding and wisdom, and
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“The Kinkaku was only a small part of the complex of palaces which Ashikaga Yoshimitsu erected on this spot in 1394, they were later converted by his son into a temple, the Rokuonji. A slow disappearance of other buildings has left this structure alone, a simple but expensively built hall containing relics in its top floor.” It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including “twice during the Onin War,” a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; “and by a psychopathic neophyte monk in 1950, but it has been rebuilt to its original form.” The name of the place is self-explanatory. Kin (金) means golden, Ka (閣) translates to pavilion, and Ku (寺) temple. The name of Kaen is based on the legend of Yoshimitsu Ashikaga (founder). Yoshimitsu’s opening base in accordance with the place called Kaninoen where Buddha’s first explanation was …show more content…
“The thickness of the paper can be as thin as 0.0001 millimeters” The gold leaf is made with a copper, silver and gold alloy; then is put between paper in a book, and hammered with a special machine to make it into an extremely thin sheet. The finished leaf requires very delicate handling; it’s cut into squares and prepared for using. Finally, it is glued onto the surface and press carefully with a soft fabric. The gold leafing remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years and it is still done by hand in many places like the city of Kanazawa—hence the name—which produces about 99% of Japan's gold leaves. There was a time when the production of gold and silver leaf was strictly prohibited in places other than Edo and Kyoto because the feudal government was trying to solidify its economic system. Yet Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the great rulers of the country, was known for his love of gold, and every ruler in the history of Japan liked to use gold leaf in buildings and furniture as a representation of their power.
The lowest floor of Kinkakuji was a room for relaxation and entertainment it is built in the Shinden style used for palace buildings during the Heian Period, and it is the only floor that is not covered in gilded wood. Its natural wood pillars and white plaster walls contrast yet complements the gilded upper stories of the pavilion. The dark color
“The Kinkaku was only a small part of the complex of palaces which Ashikaga Yoshimitsu erected on this spot in 1394, they were later converted by his son into a temple, the Rokuonji. A slow disappearance of other buildings has left this structure alone, a simple but expensively built hall containing relics in its top floor.” It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including “twice during the Onin War,” a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; “and by a psychopathic neophyte monk in 1950, but it has been rebuilt to its original form.” The name of the place is self-explanatory. Kin (金) means golden, Ka (閣) translates to pavilion, and Ku (寺) temple. The name of Kaen is based on the legend of Yoshimitsu Ashikaga (founder). Yoshimitsu’s opening base in accordance with the place called Kaninoen where Buddha’s first explanation was …show more content…
“The thickness of the paper can be as thin as 0.0001 millimeters” The gold leaf is made with a copper, silver and gold alloy; then is put between paper in a book, and hammered with a special machine to make it into an extremely thin sheet. The finished leaf requires very delicate handling; it’s cut into squares and prepared for using. Finally, it is glued onto the surface and press carefully with a soft fabric. The gold leafing remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years and it is still done by hand in many places like the city of Kanazawa—hence the name—which produces about 99% of Japan's gold leaves. There was a time when the production of gold and silver leaf was strictly prohibited in places other than Edo and Kyoto because the feudal government was trying to solidify its economic system. Yet Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the great rulers of the country, was known for his love of gold, and every ruler in the history of Japan liked to use gold leaf in buildings and furniture as a representation of their power.
The lowest floor of Kinkakuji was a room for relaxation and entertainment it is built in the Shinden style used for palace buildings during the Heian Period, and it is the only floor that is not covered in gilded wood. Its natural wood pillars and white plaster walls contrast yet complements the gilded upper stories of the pavilion. The dark color