[Shocking Kinkakuji arson incident] Why did it burn? Complete explanation from the incident to the golden resurrection

75 years since the night flames swallowed gold

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　table of contents

1. Full story of the incident
2. Chronology Digest
3. About reconstruction work methods
4. 5 “Traces of Burning” that you can experience on-site 

Introduction

75 years have passed since the night the flames engulfed the gold.This article traces the shock and rebirth of the Kinkakuji arson incident in a narrative format, centering on the efforts of the craftsmen and the traces found at the site.

The visuals in each chapter use images generated by AI to help readers visualize the scene more clearly. Please use this as a supplementary reference only, as it may differ from the actual scenery.

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 1. Full story of the incident 

July 2, 1950, before dawn…

A flickering flame suddenly appears on the mist-filled surface of Kagami Lake Pond. The faint sound of crackling trees soon turned into a roaring pillar of fire, and the three-story tower “Kinkaku” instantly transformed into the “Red Tower.” Fire records from the time say that the strange glow that colored Kyoto in the middle of the night was so intense that it reduced a national treasure to ashes just 45 minutes after it was reported.

 

Chapter 1: Preparation for the crime – the despair of a young apprentice

After the culprit, Hayashi Yoken (real name Hayashi Yoken), entered Rokuonji Temple, he secretly began to desire to become the chief priest’s successor. However, around 1949, his relationship with the chief priest and other apprentices began to deteriorate, and he began to feel that he was being treated poorly. His sense of inferiority eventually turned into resentment and despair, leading him to make a destructive decision to burn down the Golden Temple and take his own life.

On June 10, 1950, Hayashi secretly removed the nails from the wooden door on the north side of the first floor of the Golden Pavilion and later replaced them, but on June 28, he pulled them out again and prepared to invade. During that time, he sold his father’s coat and went to the red light district, leaving behind words and actions that hinted at a suicide. On June 22nd, he purchased 100 tablets of Carmotin, a lethal dose, from a pharmacy, and the plan was carefully and quietly proceeding.

 

Chapter 2: On the day of the incident – a night in the “Red Tower”

On the night of July 1, 1950, Hayashi returned to his room after performing massage on the chief priest. From 10 p.m. to midnight, he played Go with his brother-in-law, a monk, pretending to be doing things as usual. Around 3 a.m. on July 2, he reconfirmed that the fire alarm installed in his room was malfunctioning, took his futon and books from his room, and headed to the Kinkaku.

He piled up futons and clothing in front of the statue of Yoshimitsu Ashikaga on the first floor, added bundles of straw, and lit them on fire with a match. The flames spread quickly, and at 3:07 a.m., fire was confirmed from the eastern watchtower. Fire engines arrived six minutes after the call was made, but Kinkaku was already engulfed in flames, and by 3:40, the tower had collapsed. By 3:50, the fire was almost extinguished, but along with Kinkaku, many cultural properties were reduced to ashes.

 

Chapter 3: Immediately after the incident: testimony in the ashes and despair

After the fire, Hayashi disappeared and his belongings disappeared from his room, making arson a strong suspicion. In the evening of that day, Hayashi was found half way up the left side of the mountain behind the temple, taking carmotin and stabbing himself with a dagger. In a semi-conscious state, he confessed to “starting the fire” but did not say what his motive was.

On this day, his mother, Shimako, was heading to Kyoto to visit her son, but on the way she learned that her son was the one responsible for the arson. Two days later, Shimako took her own life by throwing herself off the train deck at Hozu Gorge. She reportedly described her son as a “national traitor” and told police that she was willing to die to atone for his crimes.

 

Chapter 4: Trial: Darkness of the Heart and “Full Responsibility”

Shortly after the incident, Hayashi was charged with arson and violating the National Treasures Preservation Act, and a trial began at the Kyoto District Court. Regarding her motives, prosecutors claim that she had “self-loathing, jealousy of her beauty, and antipathy toward society.” Although Hayashi admits his guilt, he repeatedly gives ambiguous answers regarding his motive.

As a result of a psychiatric evaluation, Hayashi was diagnosed as “schizophrenic and fully responsible” without any mental illness. In December 1950, Hayashi was sentenced to seven years in prison, which was finalized without any appeal.

 

Chapter 5: Afterward──At the end of silence

After Hayashi was imprisoned in Kakogawa Prison, he developed mental abnormalities and began to suffer from auditory hallucinations, delusions, and anorexia. The letter he wrote to Chief Priest Jikai contained words of deep regret and begging for forgiveness, but the content gradually became incoherent.

In 1953, he was transferred to Hachioji Medical Prison, where he spent his days suffering from tuberculosis and mental weakness. After being released from prison in 1955, he was admitted to Rakunan Hospital, where he remained indifferent to the news of the reconstruction of the Kinkaku, saying, “I don’t care.” He died of pulmonary tuberculosis on March 7, 1956 at the age of 26. His grave is in the same cemetery in Maizuru City as that of his mother, Shimako.

 

Chapter 6: Lost and Rebuilt

It wasn’t just the buildings that were lost in the flames.

Six national treasures, including a seated statue of Yoshimitsu Ashikaga and a statue of Kannon Bodhisattva, were reduced to ashes, and the great loss following the Horyuji Kondo fire (1949) instilled fear throughout the country that “cultural properties are not eternal.” In the year following the fire, debate accelerated in the Diet to revise the Cultural Properties Protection Act.

However, gold will rise again from the ashes.

In the “three-year reconstruction plan” that began in 1952, shrine carpenters, lacquer craftsmen, and foil stampers were all mobilized based on existing materials. On October 10, 1955, more than 50,000 people lined the approach to the shrine when the new Kinkaku was unveiled at a memorial service. Furthermore, during the 1986-87 “Major Showa Renovation”, the building was re-pasted with approximately 200,000 sheets (20 kg) of 0.5 μm thick gold leaf, restoring its brilliance to even more than when it was first built.

 

 

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 2. Digest of chronology from arson to revival 

In the early hours of July 2, 1950, a 21-year-old apprentice monk set fire to the National Treasure Shariden (the so-called Golden Pavilion), reducing it to ashes. However, just five years after it was burnt to ashes, the Golden Tower was revived through a “three-year reconstruction plan” that brought together the combined efforts of shrine carpenters and lacquer and leaf craftsmen.

Since then, the roof has been re-thatched (2003-04) and partial repairs were made during the Reiwa period (2020), and Kinkaku-ji continues to fascinate the world as a “cultural property that stands up even if it burns.”

Kinkaku-ji burned down in the summer of 1950. Amid the regret of not being able to protect this national treasure, it was the detailed drawings left over from the Meiji period and the craftsmen who inherited the skills that lit the light for reconstruction. We will specifically guide you behind the scenes of <reconstruction/restoration>.

　1. Overview of the 1952-55 Three-Year Reconstruction Plan

What remained in the burnt area wasMeiji demolition and repair detailed drawingsIt was just the pride of a craftsman. The Cultural Properties Protection Committee consulted with Kyoto Prefecture and Shokokuji-ha,

1. Faithfully restored as a wooden tower building

2. Gold leaf and lacquer specifications will be re-examined with priority given to historical materials.

— We will start the reconstruction project with two pillars. The main material is Kiso Hinoki. The large-diameter timbers, over 12 meters in length, were felled in the mountains of Nagano and Gifu, and transported to Kyoto via trolley and freight cars. The master carpenter was Yoshio Akamatsu, a descendant of Tsuneichi Nishioka, and the lacquer base was done by a group of craftsmen from Kiso Hirasawa, each 10 cm square and 100,000 sheets (approximately 2 kg) of gold leaf pasted on each piece.

From the existing photographs, it was almost certain that only the third layer was gold. However, the restoration committee determined that “there was also gold leaf on the second layer” based on the glue marks left behind the eaves. Discussions lasted two years, but in the end it was decided that the entire structure would be covered in order to restore the “brilliance of the time it was first built.” This decision gave rise to the “golden two and three layers” that we know today.

 

　2. October 10, 1955 – Memorial Service for the Golden Resurrection

A total of 950 craftsmen were employed and the total construction cost was 38.75 million yen (at that time). On the day of the memorial service, worshipers50,000 people endlessly. “Gold rising from the ashes” made headlines in national newspapers and became a symbol of postwar recovery.

 

　3. 1986-87 “Great Restoration of the Showa Era” — 200,000 pieces of gold leaf 5 times thicker

Thirty years after it was rebuilt, the exterior walls had darkened due to ultraviolet rays and the lacquer had deteriorated. Therefore, an unprecedented repair work will be carried out, in which 200,000 sheets (approximately 20 kg) of new gold leaf, 0.5 µm thick and 5 times thicker, will be applied twice. Three craftsmen were in charge of each 70,000 pieces.Total construction cost: 740 million yen. The surface that was reupholstered at this time is now reflected in Kagami Lake.