In contrast to the lavish Kitayama culture represented by Kinkaku from the 3rd Shogun Yoshimitsu's era, the culture of this period is called "Higashiyama culture" that emphasizes wabi-sabi (simplicity and quietude) as represented by Ginkaku.
この時代の文化を金閣に代表される3代義満時代の華やかな北山文化と対照的に、銀閣に代表されるわび・さびに重きをおいた「東山文化」と呼ばれる。