The Temple of the Golden Pavilion (Cyclopedia of Literary Places)
At a glance:
- Author: Yukio Mishima
- First Published: 1956
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: Mid-twentieth century
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, Maturation or coming of age, 1940’s, Alienation, Friendship, Beauty, War, Death or dying, Japan or Japanese people, Monasteries, monks, or monasticism, Temples, Zen Buddhism
- Locales: Kyoto, Japan
Places Discussed
Kinkakuji (kin-ka-kew-jee). Temple, also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, in Kyōto that is a rare masterpiece of Buddhist garden architecture, the central metaphor of the novel. The temple dates back over five centuries to the days of the great Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, a powerful military leader, appreciator of fine art, and devoted follower of Zen Buddhism. The temple served as a spiritual retreat for this hard-driven military leader because he enjoyed evenings of music and poetry, which took him away from the constant warfare of his...
[The entire page is 848 words long]
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