Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion^?), also known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺 Deer Garden Temple^?), is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan.^[2] The garden complex is an excellent example of Muromachi period garden design.^[4]The Muromachi period is considered to be a classical age of Japanese garden design.^[5] The correlation between buildings and its settings were greatly emphasized during this period.^[6] It was a way to integrate the structure within the landscape in an artistic way. The garden designs were characterized by a reduction in scale, a more central purpose, and a distinct setting.^[7] A minimalistic approach was brought to the garden design, by recreating larger landscapes in a smaller scale around a structure.^[8]

It is designated as a National Special Historic Site and a National Special Landscape, and it is one of 17 locations comprising the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site.^[9] It is also one of the most popular buildings in Japan, attracting a large number of visitors annually.^[10] It has also been made widely familiar as being featured in a photograph in the desktop picture art of Apple's OS X computer operating system, labeled simply as "Golden Palace".