The Silver Pavilion makes up one of the Three Pavilions of Kyoto (京の三閣, Kyō-no-sankaku), and is a temple (寺, Tera) and that is officially known as the Jisho-ji (慈照寺, lit. “Temple of Shining Mercy”). Classified as a National Treasure, the temple is often praised for its embodiment of the wabi-sabi (侘寂) aesthetic.
Unlike the Golden Pavilion (金閣寺, Kinkaku-ji), which is covered in gold foil like its name, the Silver Pavilion has no silver foil on it, and researchers have confirmed that there has never been any silver foil pasted on it either. It is believed that the original plan to cover the pavilion in a silver foil coating was never completed, although this unfinished-ness of the Silver Pavilion is also part of being wabi-sabi.
As such, don’t expect an intricately beautifully preserved structure like the shiny Golden Pavilion. Instead, the Silver Pavilion proudly wears the wear and tear on its surface, a testament to the centuries that this structure has withstood the test of time.
Like the Golden Pavilion, most of the buildings in the temple grounds are not open to public, and can only be viewed from the outside.
