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localId
7337035
label
Gold Pavilion, Pool #479 [Pool Report]
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doc
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document
citationUrl
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1
Source metadata
id
7337035
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
Gold Pavilion, Pool #479 [Pool Report]
citationUrl
collections
White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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Japan
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1
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7337035
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day
21
logicalDate
1974-11-21
month
11
year
1974
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nara-archive
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1
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bda1656cec82d188
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Digitized from Box 5 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
November 21, 1974
POOL'REPORT
GOLD PAVILION
POOL #479
President Ford arrived at the Gold. Pavilion accompanied by Jikai
Murakami, abbot of the Zen Buddhist sect at Kinkakuji (Golden
Pavilion), and a large party that included, in addition to the White
House officials, an 11 year old boy studying to be a Zen priest.
The pavilion is a re-construction of the original structure which was
destroyed by an arsonist in 1950. However, the new building is said
to be faithful to the old - a three story pavilion that dates to the early
14th century. Each floor represents a different architectural period;
the first, Fujiware - the second, Buke - zukuri, and the third,
Kukkyo-cho. To an American layman, it may look more like an
enlarged, gilded version of the Teahouse of the August Moon,
situated on an idyllic small lake and backed by a carefully maintained
grove of pine and maple trees. It was a striking setting as the
President looked on: the sun was reflecting of f. the pavilion's gold
colored roof and the lake was a mirror of the surrounding red maple
trees.
Shortly, the President and most of his party (Hartmann, Rumsfeld,
Kissinger, Hodgson) stepped to a porch of the pavilion and removed
their shoes, replacing them with lavender colored slippers that
had been set out. With the abbot as his guide, the President spent
about 10 minutes inside the pavilion. We could not see or hear what
was going on.
As the President left the building and began to put on his own shoes,
the 11 year old Zen student - Hiroyuki Higashi - asked for and received
his autograph. Just then the gong inside the pavilion sounded, and
the American officials looked around quickly before breaking into
laughter. Later, one of them explained that they were afraid it had
been an American acting out a tourist's impulse. However, it was
a member of the Japanese party.
Ford left on schedule for the next stop.
Incidentally, security was heavy here. More than 30 plain clothes
and uniform Japanese cops were in the woods behind the pavilion,
and a collection box outside the building was carried away so that it
could be unlocked and inspected.
BROKAW, NBC
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