Ginkaku-ji and Yoshimasa

After the Ônin War, Yoshimasa decided to build a villa on the former site of Yoshimi's residence, Jôdo-ji, and he started on construction of the Higashiyama villa in 1482. When the Eternity Palace (Tsune no Gosho) was completed the following year, Yoshimasa passed the reins of government to his heir Yoshihisa and moved to his Higashiyama villa. In 1485, when the Zen practice hall Seishian was completed, Yoshimasa took the tonsure and the religious name Kizan Dôkei. In 1486, the Tôgudô, Yoshimasa's personal Buddha Hall (Jibutsudo) was completed, and the following year the Higashiyama Kaisho and Izumiden (also known as Roseitei) were finished. In March 1489 construction began on the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku, officially the Kannon Hall), but in October Yoshimasa fell ill, and he died on January 7, 1490, without seeing the structure completed.

A number of Zen monks from Shôkoku-ji advised and assisted Yoshimasa in realizing his designs for the Higashiyama palace. Among them were such leading figures of Gozan literature such as Zuikei Shûhô, Unsô Ikkei, Shinden Seihan, and Jikuun Tôren. In his later years, Kisen Shûshô, Ôsen Keisan, and others were of special help.

With Ôsen Keisan's assistance, Yoshimasa turned to Saihô-ji (popularly called Kokedera, or the "Moss Temple"), which he especially admired, as a model for the Higashiyama palace. The Silver Pavilion itself, however, was modeled after the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku, officially the Relics Hall) of Rokuon-ji (Kinkaku-ji), and in 1487 Yoshimasa paid an unannounced visit to Rokuon-ji to inspect the Relics Hall that his grandfather Yoshimitsu had built.

The garden of Higashiyama Palace is the only surviving garden whose design was overseen by Yoshimasa, and it displays his refined and elegant taste. Among Yoshimasa's retainers and confidants were Zen monks from Shôkoku-ji as well as superior masters of garden design who actually oversaw the work. Yoshimasa is said to have placed supreme trust and responsibility for constructing the garden in the Noh actor Zeami (1363-1443), who is known to have been in charge, at Yoshimasa's command, of constructing the gardens at Inryôken, Myôren-ji, and the Muromachi Kamigosho palace, among others.