>>> Item number 8562 from WRITERS LOG9302C --- (50 records) ------ <<< Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1993 13:22:43 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: Word of the Day Today I'm going to give you a little something different - two Japanese words and the story behind them as I remember it. The words: Hepburn: kinkakuji and ginkakuji Pronounced: kee-n-kah-koo-gee and gee-n-kah-koo-gee Meaning: Gold Temple and Silver Temple If you go to Kyoto, these are two popular temples to see. First, you should see kinkakuji (the Gold Temple). It is resplendent, a gold-covered temple shining in the sunlight. Second, you should go to see ginkakuji (the Silver Temple). While it has similar architecture, it is dull, tarry grey-black. You might be tempted to think it is tarnished. No, the priests would polish it, but it is incomplete, no silver has ever been used on it. Both temples have been rebuilt more than once, yet while the Gold Temple is always complete in its expensive glory, the Silver Temple is perpetually incomplete. Now (and I think there's the seed of a story or two here, if someone feels up to them), the brief history of these temples is this. A man paid for the building of the Gold Temple and finished it. His son, in turn, began construction of the Silver temple. However, before it was finished, he ran out of money, and died. Very simple, yet when I think of the priests and others who have paid to have the temples rebuilt several times, and maintained the incomplete condition of the Silver Temple, I think of these paired temples as a kind of riddle, an almost hidden commentary on children attempting to match the accomplishments of their parents. Did he actually fail? Did he change his mind and spend his money on other things? What happened to this man trying to match his father, and why has no one ever completed the work? Almost begs for a poet to do something with it, doesn't it? Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji - The Gold and Silver Temples... (I haven't checked the history or tourist guides, but this is pretty close to the real story). Enjoy your weekend, one and all! mike