Author of Japan Unmasked🔹Cross-Cultural Communication Specialist🔹Japanese Hospitality & Tourism Marketing Consultant
What do the Japanese find beautiful? Personally, I appreciate the transience of nature - the falling of flowers, the sound of dripping water, the wind whistling through bamboo and pottery with deliberate imperfections. Wabi-sabi implies rustic simplicity in a positive light, or the grace that comes with age and repeated use. Like the Western world's relationship with idealised Greek concepts of beauty, wabi-sabi is an unshakable Japanese concept of beauty on virtually every level. A striking contrast between ostentatious luxury and simplicity can be seen when comparing the Golden and Silver Pavilions in Kyoto. Both pavilions are Zen Buddhist temples, and the structure of these pavilions is quite similar. However, their appearance is quite different. The golden pavilion is covered with pure gold leaf, and its shiny, sumptuous appearance gives a strong impression of opulence. On the other hand, the graceful architecture of the Silver Pavilion uses natural, modest materials, not actually silver, but simple, tasteful wood. It may be easier for some to admire the exquisite lavishness of the Gold Pavilion, but for me the Silver Pavilion manifests the concepts of Japanese simplicity and beauty to such great effect. Which do you find more beautiful? #Zen #Aesthetics #JapanUnmasked #wabisabi
Steve Booth
9mo
I have to say that both are beautiful, which I know doesn't answer your question. For me, all of my Japan experiences are indelibly influenced by the weather. When I look at both of the buildings and the surroundings I remember the time of year I visited. The first visit was in the winter. The day was bitter cold with a steady wind that went right through me. I wondered if one could ever get warm inside either of these buildings, would it smell like sekiyu, would there be a boiling kettle on top of the sekiyu stove? Would I be able to stay warm through the cold night? Then when I visited in summer I wondered if screens could be opened to let any breeze in. How would a sweltering night be inside the buildings? I would definitely hear the wind in the leaves and see ripples on the water. Regardless of how we attempt to create a beautiful scene, nature always modifies the scene to its own cadence. That's what I find beautiful about Japan and these two buildings.
Andrew Peyton
9mo
I've only ever visited Kinkakuji - not certain why I never made it to Ginkakuji - so somewhat difficult to compare. I do however align with the concept of simple beauty vs. opulence luxe. When I visited a temple, shrine or other wooden structure I was in awe of the building techniques used. Intricate timber joinery with no nails would have me staring closely at the skill and workmanship on display at length. Love wabi-wabi.
蔵石,Yoshi
9mo
By far, Ginkakuji. It has a very unique garden.
Swapnil DALAVI
9mo
金閣寺！
James (Jim) H.
9mo
The historical context of Ginkakuji always fills my mind when I visit it. It was built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who literally broke the country into pieces with his bungled succession that caused the Onin War. He was too busy with cultural things and meditating at Ginkakuji to fix the nation he had broken, and as a result, a century and a half of war.
Daniel Baum
9mo
The gold flake ice cream is better near kinkakuji
I've always much preferred Ginkaku-ji. The building and grounds I find generally more attractive and the history surrounding it more interesting. Kinkaku-ji is a beautiful building but this incarnation is too ostentatious for my tastes and these days not all that enjoyable to visit thanks to the swarms of people.
Jens Nasstrom
9mo
Silver, there's no competition. But that's probably only because it reminds me of a typical temple or shrine. So for me it is not only about the visual impact; it's also about sound, scent, the whole experience.
Also, the super shiny thick gold leaf Kinkakuji is a modern, post-war thing. Prior to its arson in 1950 (fictionalized by Mishima, another deeply troubled person), it didn't have much gold left. When it was refurbished in 1986, they applied gold leaf that was five times thicker than the original. A picture in 1885 gives a better sense of what it looked like before "restoration."