Golden Pavilion & Aoi Matsuri
Today I made my way to the famous Golden Pavilion, otherwise known as Kinkakuji, which is covered in real gold.
Kinkakuji Temple in all its golden glory
Constructed in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the villa stood for nearly 200 years when, in 1950, a young monk burnt it to the ground, as one does. It was rebuilt in 1955 following the exact original design.
Luckily I arrived at Kinkakuji really early to avoid the crowds. Sure enough as soon as 11:00 hit the place was packed with tourists all scrambling for the best position in which to capture that perfect shot of Kinkakuji, whilst at the same time angrily staring down anyone who came close to getting in their photo, should they betray the photographer’s attempts to make it look like he had all of the temple to himself… aaaah the peace and serenity of it all…
After Kinkakuji I made my way to Ryoan Temple. The temple itself is very modest in comparison with some others, particularly given its proximity to the golden-covered Kinkakuji (although with exceptionally beautiful gardens), but it does have the world's most famous zen rock garden.
Ryoan Temple zen rock garden
Legend has it that the zen rock garden was designed and raked into its particular pattern over 500 years ago and hasn’t been disturbed since. I made my way to the viewing platform, took off my flip-flops (a common practice in Japan) and found a spot amongst the tourists to view the garden.
The garden and patterns may seem a bit, well, odd, in their appeal to so many. But sitting there and looking at it, being present with it right there in front of you, I began to understand the appeal. The concentration, focus and dedication it must have taken to create such a thing is impressive. Whilst the fact that it has been so revered by so many that they don’t dare disturb it for over 5 centuries is nothing short of amazing.
Next it was time to head to the Aoi Matsuri (hollyhock festival) - considered the oldest living festival in the world dating all the way back to the 6th century. According to the ancient historical record, the Aoi Matsuri started during a time of disastrous weather where crops were destroyed and epidemics had spread throughout the country. It was believed this was because of divine punishment, and as such the festival began as a way to appease the gods in the hopes of securing a bountiful harvest. In Japanese, “Aoi” means “hollyhock”, and the festival is named after the leaves believed to protect against natural disasters.
Aoi Matsuri in full swing
The Aoi Matsuri starts with a procession led by the Imperial Messenger, followed by oxen, cows, horses and over six-hundred people, all in traditional Heian period dress and wearing aoi leaves. When the procession arrives at the shrine, an unmarried woman in Kyoto, referred to as the Saiō-Dai, wearing twelve layers of silk robes - yes, you read that right - 12 layers - goes through a series of purification ceremonies and then pays respects to the gods at the shrine, requesting their continued blessings. There is also a really impressive archery performance on horseback. I had arrived at the festival just as the Imperial Messenger had arrived at the shrine and the archery show had begun. Although to be completely honest, I didn’t really have any idea what was going on, I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing one of the oldest continuing festivals in the world. Also, the food was awesome.
Local school children offering me their candy, sugar-coated syrup. YUM!
