> Actually, last time I went to the Ginkakuji (in June)
> I asked--as I thought, and as Prof Keene says, it's
> merely a distinction between itself and the
> "Kinkakuji" , Rokuon-ji. There never were any plans to
> cover it in silver, much to the contrary of what
> guidebooks and Mr. Turnbull will tell you.
>
> Nate
I agree. The ginkaku-ji wasn't meant to be covered in silver. The
name merely alludes to the Kinkaku-ji, that might explain the
misconception. Keene writes in his book about the personality of
Yoshimasa and the way it probably differed from Yoshimitsu's. The
latter wanted a building, the kinkaku-ji, that would perpetuate his
legacy through the centuries to come. Yoshimasa on the other hand,
above all, wanted a building that reflected his personal taste. He
planned it thoroughly and had special rocks and plants removed from
temples and palace gardens in order to enhance the beauty of his
gardens at Higashiyama. He had certain features and even whole
buildings deconstructed and reconstructed because he didn't like it.
There is only one known account, according to Keene (sounds like a
broken record :), that Yoshimasa expressed sadness and wonder about
the poverty of the commoners or the famines that plagued Japan
during his reign. In any case, it didn't stop him from building very
expensive palaces (if I remember correctly the Hana no gosho and
others) or organising Sakura (cherry tree) viewings. Above all,
Ginkaku-ji was his retreat to where he retired from his position as
shogun and only returned to politics (not as shogun but acting as
one) when his son the ninth Ashikaga shogun, Yoshihisa, died and he
had no heir. Yoshimasa was very much into 'karamono' (Chinese things
and objects of art). In my humble opinion this probably was a reason
that he didn't mind being a vassal of or paying tribute to the
Chinese emperor. The other reason was (again my opinion) that he
revered his grandfather Yoshimitsu and his father Yoshinori, who
both were 'King of Japan' and vassals of the Middle Kingdom.
Maybe off-topic;
A curious event happened in 1863 when: "Hatred of Yoshimitsu was
especially strong during the years immediately before the Meiji
restoration of 1868, which had as one of it's professed goals the
return of secular authority to the emperor. In the second month of
the third year of Bunkyu (1863), nine men, followers of the Shinto
zealot Hirata Atsutane, broke into the Toji-in [a temple in Kyoto]
and removed the heads of the statues of the first three Ashikaga
shoguns: Takauji, Yoshiakira and Yoshimitsu. They then exposed the
heads on a bank of the Kamo river, following the common practice at
this time of 'patriots' exposing for all to see the heads of men
accused of being traitors. Beside the heads of the three shogun,
placards were set up enumerating the crimes of each. Yoshimitsu's
acceptance of the title of King of Japan made him the worst traitor
of all."
Now i'm tired
Nahless
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