– Kinjo-ji – 金城寺-
Nanto（南砺市） – March 21, 2020
Kinjo-ji was a lucky find on our way to Toyama. While at the rest stop in Johana, I mentioned on a whim it’d be nice to get my first goshuin from Toyama Prefecture. My husband pulled out his phone and this cute goshuin was one of the top goshuin in the prefecture. Isn’t it cute?
This temple is a very small, intimate temple. Outside the temple is a small nadebotoke, a statue of Buddha that you rub to cure illnesses. When you go inside, you’re greeted by a nice lady. Unlike most places where you walk up and receive a goshuin, the priest here insists on talking to everyone and having visitors perform a small prayer. It was a lovely experience.
Goshuin were originally something you received as proof of your pilgrimage and until recently, temples often had you write a Buddhist scripture as part of the process. The priest here in Kinjo-ji wants to protect some of the sacredness of the process, thus he and his assistant give a small talk teach visitors how to pray properly before allowing visitors to receive a goshuin.
We enjoyed tea and talked for about 10 or 15 minutes with them before filling out a survey. Since I received a special goshuin, they also gave me a free gift. The goshuin I received was only available painted on piece of paper and they wrote the dates for us. The priest here hand paints each one himself. This was probably one of my most expensive goshuin (1500 or 2000 yen), but after their time and kindness, it was worth it. I learned a lot. Just make sure you can speak conversational Japanese.
Homepage: http://www1.coralnet.or.jp/shinshyo/ (Japanese)
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