Goshuincho - A book of shrine stamps

About Goshuincho

If you like visiting Japanese shrines ⛩️, it might be worth knowing about Goshuincho 御朱印長(pronounced as Go-shu-in-chŌ). Let us understand the meaning by breaking down the word. Go - honorific in Japanese, shuin- stamp and cho - book.  GoshuinchŌ is a stamp book to record visits made to temples and shrines. It is a book made by hard binding a long piece of paper that is folded multiple times to look like a regular book. 

Cover page of a stamp book

Stamp from Hokokuji shrine, Kamakura

History

In olden days, people visited several shrines on their pilgrimage and recorded their visits by collecting shrine stamps in a book. Since the book was a record of the pilgrimage, the book would be cremated with the person at the time of death. It also signified carrying a person’s holy deeds to the next birth. The practice gradually took the form of a hobby and is practiced as a fun activity now a days.

How to get started?

1. Buy the Goshuincho - Select a shrine or temple you wish to visit. Some basic research on google would help as most Japanese shrines have a website which is as professional and detailed as a company website! Shrines can represent different deities and are known to support various causes like wealth, love etc. Decide the shrine you would like to visit and buy the Goshuincho from the shrine counter. Although Goshuincho is sold in regular stationary shops, buying it from a shrine creates a special bond. A stamp book can cost anywhere around 1500 JPY.
2. Pray - Once you have the Goshuincho, do not rush to the window to get a stamp. Goshuincho represents the completion of a visit to a shrine, so take your time to pray. If you are visiting a Japanese shrine (different from a Japanese Buddhist temple), begin by offering a 5 yen coin in the donation box, bow down twice, clap twice, join your hands to pray and finally bow down to conclude the prayer. 
3. Collect your stamp - A shrine or a temple must have a window that reads 御朱印 [Goshuin (stamp)]. Handover your book at the window and pay the fee to get a stamp. Shrines usually charge anywhere between 300-500 JPY for the stamp. A stamp is handwritten using Japanese calligraphy. Some shrines do it on-the-spot and some shrines pre-write the stamps and distribute individual pages with stamps to save time. You can then stick it on the stamp book. In case of an on-the-spot stamp, you will be given a token and asked to wait. If you are lucky, you may get to see how the calligraphy is done.  

Parts of a Goshuin or stamp:

The words or Kanjis are read from top to bottom and right to left. Each stamp is different, with different colors or prints but in general has the following parts:

1. On the top right is the word  ‘奉拝’ which is read as Houhai, meaning worship and most stamps have this. Some shrines located on mountain tops have the word ‘登拝' which is read as Touhai.
2. On the extreme right, is a short temple history (red ink)
3. The top center has the special mark of the temple (red seal)
4. The center of the stamp has a red seal of the shrine (square seal)
5. The name of the shrine is written in black ink on top of the red seal
6. Finally, the date of visit to the temple is written on the left (black ink)

Variations in stamps from the same shrine during festivals

Shrines change the color and style of the stamps during festivals. Below is an example of different stamps from Karasumori shrine in Shimbashi, Tokyo:

Recommendations:

1. Kamakura in Kanagawa prefecture has many shrines. You can enjoy the natural beauty of Kamakura, try local food and collect multiple stamps in one day. 
2. Sensouji shrine in Asakusa, Tokyo - This is also a recommended place to buy souvenirs.
3. Tokyo Daijingu - A temple where most couples visit to pray for a healthy marriage or singles visit to pray for a good match.
4. Gotokuji : Maneki neko (cat) temple - This temple is the home of the famous Japanese maneki neko, a cat that invites good luck and fortune in life.
5. Apart from Tokyo and Kanagawa, Shinkoku island in Japan is famous for the 88-Buddhist temples known for the Shikoku Pilgrimage (Shikoku Henro).
6. Nara and Kyoto the old capital cities of Japan have many old shrines worth visiting.

Completed stamp book:

I personally started this activity during my initial days in Japan as a motivation to travel and also enjoyed watching the beauty of hand written kanjis. So when are you planning to begin your journey of stamp collection?