Kinkakuji

View of Kinkakuji (the golden pavilion) from across a body of water in Kyoto, Japan. "Nowhere is the union of Chinese and Japanese building styles better seen than in Yoshimitsu's retirement complex, constructed between 1397 and 1407 ... The formal name of the Golden Pavilion is Shariden (Relic Hall). The first two floors are rectangular and based on earlier, native designs. Its verandas contribute to the blending of interior and exterior that is characteristic of the best traditional Japanese architecture. All sides but the north have pond vistas ... The first story, called the Chamber of Dharma Waters (dharma being the ancient Sanskrit term for Buddhist law), is built in the residential style of courtiers. The second story, called the Tower of the Sound of Waves, is built in the style of warrior residences, with sliding doors rather than shutters like the level beneath. It is topped with cypress eaves. The third story, square and covered with gold leaf, is named the Cupola of the Ultimate. It is surmounted by an elegant cypress roof with upswept eaves, topped by a phoenix,"--from “Kinkakuji: the Temple of the Golden Pavilion: ‘there is nothing on earth as beautiful as the Golden Pavilion.’” by Horton, H. Mack.