Silence of Light - Learning from Kinkakuji Temple's Timeless Beauty
"The Silence of Light: Learning from Kinkakuji Temple: Timeless Beauty"
In the silence, gold breathes.
Kinkakuji Temple stands on the shore of a quiet pond in Kitayama, Kyoto. Officially known as Rokuon-ji Temple, it originated as Kitayamadono, a mountain villa built in 1397 by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third and first shogun of the Muromachi period, and was reborn as a Zen temple after his death.
The three-story Shariden Hall has different architectural styles: the first floor is in the style of a Heian aristocrat's shinden-zukuri, the second floor is in the style of a samurai, and the top floor is in the style of Chinese Zen Buddhism.
The gold leaf exterior is more than just decoration.
"Beauty is something that speaks in silence, even through time."
In spring, cherry blossoms cover the temple in gold, and in autumn, the autumn leaves burn gold. Winter snow bathes the temple in white, leaving it standing like an innocent memory. The changing of the seasons is the final touch that completes the beauty of Kinkaku-ji Temple.
WABISUKE aims to translate the "beauty of silence" into a modern context, capturing the timeless beauty of Kinkaku-ji Temple in words, colors, and shapes.
This temple teaches us not about luxury, but the power of space, and the beauty of the common people that is born from the harmony of different things.