The so-called Philosopher’s Path is an approximately 2km long scenic walk that follows a canal in Kyoto’s northern Higashiyama district. It is lined by hundreds of cherry trees, making the path one of the city’s most popular spots during hanami season, but even though foliage hadn’t reached peak colors yet, it was a pleasant and picturesque walk during our autumn visit as well.
The path been on my radar, but not on my finalized travel itinerary; however, we were on our way to meet my sister to visit Ginkaku-ji together and had some time to kill. The path runs from just North of Nanzen-ji to the Silver Pavilion, and gets its name because Nishida Kitaro, an influential Kyoto University philosophy professor, is said to have practiced his daily meditations while walking this route on his way to work. It takes about 30 minutes to walk the entirety of the path, but there are a number of temples and shrines along the way which one may want to make time for.
At the end of the Philosopher’s Path, you’ll find yourself right in front of Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion. It was built as a retirement villa by a 15th century shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who modeled it after his grandfather’s Golden Pavilion on the other side of Kyoto. Art-obsessed Yoshimasa turned bis back on politics to pursue a quest for beauty, and the Silver Pavilion is a prime example of the wabi-sabi aesthetic—beauty in imperfection, and the acceptance of the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death.
During Yoshimasa’s life, the villa was the center of Higashiyama culture, which, in contrast to the Kitayama culture limited to aristocratic circles representative of his grandfather’s time, had a broad impact on the entire country. Much of what is commonly considered traditional Japanese culture today originated in this period, the most central developments being those of the chadō tea ceremony, ikebana flower arrangement, Noh teatre, and sumi-e ink painting.
Just as with Kinkaku-ji, the villa was converted to a Zen Buddhist temple after the shogun’s death. At ¥500, admission is slightly more expensive than for the Golden Pavilion, but while the building itself may not be as impressive, the grounds have a lot more to offer: Apart from Ginkaku-ji, they encompass half a dozen other temple buildings, a unique dry sand garden, and a beautiful moss garden. The buildings aren’t open to the public, and even with plenty of stops for pictures, a visit can be completed in about an hour.
The Silver Pavilion, one of only two buildings on the grounds to have survived the many fires and earthquakes of the past centuries, will be first seen right after entering the grounds, but despite its name, it isn’t, and never was, covered in silver! Some say that the name is derived from the moonlight reflecting in the black lacquer it used to be coated in. Others say that Yoshimasa did have the intention of covering it in silver-foil, but the Ōnin War halted construction, and it never got realized before his death. In any case, its present, unfinished appearance is understood to be the same as when the shogun himself last saw it, and the faded wooden panels fit well with the wabi-sabi aesthetic.
The Togudo, pictured above, is the only other building apart from Ginkaku-ji itself which dates back to the temple’s foundation. It is the oldest surviving example of Shoin architecture, having a study room of 4.5 tatami mats, which is now the standard size for tea rooms.
One of the grounds’ most interesting features is an expansive, raked dry sand garden, named “Sea of Silver Sand”. It’s modeled after a Chinese lake, while a massive, cone-shaped sand sculpture within it, named “Moon Viewing Platform”, is modeled after Mount Fuji. Both are Zen metaphors for enlightenment, symbolizing an “illumination of consciousness”.
My favorite thing about Ginkaku-ji was however its gorgeous moss garden, which represents impermanence in Zen Buddhism—the beauty and inevitability of the natural aging process. Islands, bridges and little streams abound, and the circular path climbs up a hill from which you’ll have a nice view of not only the temple grounds, but also Kyoto beyond. The foliage looked great during our autumn visit, and the postcard view of the Silver Pavilion from across the mossy-banked stream looks like something straight out of a fairytale.
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