You might not know the name Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), but you’re almost certainly seen pictures of it. It’s the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, a shining temple covered inside and out with gold leaf sitting at the edge of a pond. It’s an incredible sight.

Kinkaku-ji is a UN World Heritage Site, putting it up there with the Pyramids of Giza, the Statue of Liberty, and the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. If you have a Mac, you have a picture of Kinkaku-ji on your computer in the default wallpapers.

But what a lot of people don’t know is that the Kinkaku-ji you see today is actually not that old. Kinkaku-ji is only about 60 years old, because 60 years ago, a schizophrenic monk burned down the original structure.

Fact or Fiction?

On July 2 1950, a monk by the name of Hayashi Yoken set fire to Kinkaku-ji, burning it to the ground; that much is indisputable. But over the years, Yoken’s identity and motives have been blurred.

In 1956, author and would-be revolutionary Yukio Mishima published The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, a fictional recounting of the burning of the Golden Temple. The book definitely has a basis in fact (Mishima even visited Yoken in his prison cell), but it’s largely a world of Mishima’s creation.

You’d think that the actual event of Yoken burning down the Temple of the Golden Pavilion would be more famous than the book based on the event, but that’s not the case.

Mishima was an enormous figure in 20^th century Japanese history. He was an author, an intellectual, and a bit of a revolutionary. During his lifetime, he was nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in literature.

Mishima’s death was one of the most dramatic events in Japan. He and his private militia took over a government building where Mishima gave a speech on a balcony, then came inside and ritualistically killed himself.

As if Mishima’s life weren’t enough to eclipse the reality of Yoken and the arson of the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Mishima’s life was made into a high-budget film (Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters) produced by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola with an original soundtrack by Philip Glass.

It’s hard to escape the fictionalization of events once it’s been scored by Glass’s arpeggios.

What really happened that July day? Who was the man who burned down this incredible temple?

The Real Story

Even though he tried to kill himself after burning down Kinkaku-ji, Hayashi Yoken was completely unapologetic about the arson. In a police interview, Yoken said “. . . I do not believe that I have done anything wrong. It is said that a national treasure has been burned, but that seems more or less meaningless”

There are lots of theories why he did it.

The big motivator in Mishima’s book was that the monk thought that Kinkaku-ji was too beautiful, and it seems that Yoken did really think that. Yoken definitely wouldn’t be the first person to destroy something because of its beauty.

Some say that Yoken had low self-worth, and burned the temple as a way of lashing out. Since he was a child, he had a massive stuttering problem that plagued him throughout his life. At his trial, Yoken confessed “I hate myself, my evil, ugly, stammering self.”

Others (like Japanologist god Donald Keene) say that Yoken did it because he thought that Buddhism had become too commercialized. Kinkaku-ji was and still is a huge tourist attraction, and takes in a ton of tax-exempt money from it. Zen master Sawaki asked “For what purpose were Kinkakuji . . . and all of the other old temples built? Certainly not for monks to practice Buddhism there.”

But pretty much everybody agreed he was mentally ill. The courts diagnosed Yoken with every ailment from schizophrenia to extreme paranoia to dementia.

The exact reason why Yoken burned down Kinkaku-ji will probably never fully be known, and a lot of people in Japan would rather forget about the whole thing and move on. But if you ever get the chance to visit Kinkaku-ji, take a second to think about that young man who set the world ablaze.

And then we have the Japanese dragon, a unique dragon that many would recognize as being an Asian dragon, but what really makes them Japanese? The dragon has significant meaning in Japanese culture, but I feel as though many outside of Japan aren’t very familiar with them other than what they look like.

Physical Appearance

Speaking of what they look like, what makes a Japanese dragon a Japanese dragon? When most westerners picture a dragon, they’ll think of the above mentioned European style dragons with their big wings and fire breath. Japanese dragons are quite different. Japanese dragons, and Asian dragons in general, are much more serpentine than their European counterparts. Japanese dragons also only have three claws on each foot, and don’t fly as often as they lack wings.

The Japanese believe that Asian dragons originated in Japan and as they spread to other areas of Asia, gained more toes through evolution or something. China and Korea hold just the opposite to be true. They believe that Asian dragons originated in their country, then lost toes as they moved themselves over to Japan.

Japanese dragons combine native legends with dragon stories from China, Korea, and India. Like these other Asian dragons, most Japanese dragons are associated with rainfall and bodies of water. They are regarded as water deities and are not associated with fire in the way their European cousins are.

Dragon Shrines and Temples

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Dragon lore is associated with both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. There are many legends of famous dragon deities inhabiting ponds, lakes, and rivers near these shrines and temples.

Temple names also frequently have something to do with dragons. For example, there is the Rinzai sect’s Tenryuji (Heavenly Dragon Temple), Ryutakuji (Dragon Swamp Temple), and Ryoanji (Dragon Peace Temple).

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The Kinryu no Mai (Golden Dragon Dance) is an annual dragon dance performed at the Buddhist temple Sensoji in Asakusa. The dance weaves in and out of the temple grounds and outside onto the streets.

According to the legends, Sensoji was founded in 628 after two fishermen found a golden figurine of Kannon in the Sumida River and golden dragons ascended into heaven for some reason. The Golden Dragon Dance celebrates the temple founding and provides good fortune and prosperity for all.

I’ve never been to a Golden Dragon Dance myself, but they look pretty nifty. Lots of music and dragon showmanship abound from the looks of it. It sure seems like a worthwhile thing to view.

There’s even a form of dragon worship in Japan. Ryūjin shinkō (dragon god faith) is a form of Shinto religious belief that worships dragons as water gods. It has connections with agricultural rituals, rain prayers, and the general success of fisherman which makes sense, as Japan is an island nation.

Dragons in Popular Culture

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Dragons are a familiar motif in Japanese art, architecture, literature, and popular culture. Japan has the Chunichi Dragons baseball team, lots of dragon kaiju monsters, and even Dragon Ball. There’s also lots of video games having to do with dragons such as the Dragon Quest and Breath of Fire series.

The dragon is one of the four divine beasts from Japanese mythology (the other three being the phoenix, turtle, and kirin). It is frequently the emblem of emperors and heroes, which makes sense, as dragons are pretty awesome and stuff.

And then of course there’s the frill shark, which is basically a real live dragon.

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Perhaps the frill shark was responsible for some of the lore associated with Japanese dragons. It lives in the sea, and is serpentine in form. I wouldn’t be surprised if back in the day some Japanese person saw one of these washed up on the beach somewhere and thought it must be a dragon.

Dragons in the Japanese Zodiac

The dragon is one of the twelve zodiac signs used in Japan. The birth years for the dragon are 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, 1940, 1928, and 1916. People born in the year of the dragon are healthy, energetic, excitable, short-tempered, and stubborn. However, they are also honest, sensitive, brave, and can inspire trust in most anyone. They are the most peculiar of the 12 signs of the Zodiac cycle.

I was born in the year of the tiger which is said to “require patience” with those of the dragon sign, but I won’t hold it against you dragonborn folk. I don’t really subscribe to the whole astrology horoscope deal, but it is pretty interesting to read about sometimes, much like the way Japan links personality traits and horoscopes with blood types.

Dragon Tattoos

Since dragons are so important to the Japanese people, it only makes sense that they’re such a popular design for tattoos both inside and out of the Yakuza. As a tattoo, the Japanese dragon represents guardianship and protection. It can also mean strength, power, and wisdom.

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Even people outside of Japan get Japanese dragon tattoos because they’re so cool, like the American firefighter in the video above.

Dragons really have a large presence in Japan when you get right down to it. You can find them adorning shrines and temples, participating in parades, in video games, TV shows, at the bottom of the ocean, and even on people’s bodies. Pretty cool, huh?

So tell me, who would win in a fight between a European dragon and a Japanese dragon? Were you born in the year of the dragon? Would you ever consider getting a dragon as a tattoo? Already have one? Share your story in the comments below!

Sites Referenced:
Wikipedia
DragonsInn.net
About.com