Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavillion, was the retirement villa of a shogun in the 14th century. Following his death, it was made into a Buddhist temple as stipulated in the shogun's will. Burned down by a deranged apprentice monk in the 1950s, it was rebuilt and is one of the most popular tourist spots in Kyoto.

This kit is finished in gold-plated plastic (well, not REAL gold, obviously), however as shown in the boxtop photo the first story and the roofs are not covered in gold leaf. Household ammonia or bleach should remove the plating from those parts and will not damage the plastic.

Also see the Small Ginkakuji kit for the retirement villa built by a descendant of this shogun.