Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺, Temple of the Golden Pavilion), is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto.
- Each floor is a different architectural style: 1st floor: Shinden-zukuri (imperial palace style); 2nd floor: Bukke-zukuri (samurai residence style); 3rd floor: Chinese Zen hall style.
- The top two stories are completely covered in gold leaf.
- Built in 1397 as the retirement villa of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the 3rd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. After his death, it was converted into a Zen Buddhist temple.
- The temple is surrounded by a large pond called Kyōko-chi (鏡湖池) or “Mirror Pond.”