UNESCO World Heritage
The origin of the name Kinkakuji(金閣寺)
Common Name:
漢字(Kanji) | 金閣寺 |
ひらがな | きんかくじ |
ローマ字 | Kinkaku-ji |
Official Name:
漢字(Kanji) | 鹿苑寺 |
ひらがな | ろくおんじ |
ローマ字 | Rokuon-ji |
Official English Web Site
https://www.shokoku-ji.jp/en/kinkakuji/
Literally means. Gold – Multi-story building – Temple.
金(きん,Kin) = gold,
閣(かく, Kaku) = Multi-story building, specially where aristocrat live.
寺(じ, Ji) = temple – building dedicated to the worship of the buddhist.
However, Kinkakuji translated as the Temple of Golden Pavilion, not Golden Temple. Why?
The main hall for this Zen temple is 方丈(Hojo)located on the right side of golden hall.
The golden three story hall is 舎利殿(Shariden), which is a Buddist hall containing relics of Buddha. And now this golden hall is used as exhibition only.
And official name is 鹿苑寺 (Rokuon-ji). People just call “Kinkakuji” not “Rokuon-ji”, because the Golden Hall(Kinkaku) is so popular, well known, that people just nicknamed it as “Kinkakuji”.
The name, Rokuonji come from the founder of the temple, the 3rd Ashikaga Shogun, Yoshimitsu’s posthumous name, 鹿苑院(Roku-on-in).
- The 3rd Ashikaga Shogun, when he retired, gave shogun title to his son, he became to be monk and normally with buddhism, when you will get the new Buddhism name after you died. his posthumous name is “Roku-on-in”.
After Yoshimitsu’s death, this temple premises become the Zen Temple named as 鹿苑寺 (Roku-on-ji).
鹿苑(Roku-on) is the holy land of the Buddhist, where the Buddha was spiritually enligntened, and started to preach people.
コメント