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Category: Goshuin

Hochigai Shrine

Hochigai Shrine 方違神社 Sakai (堺市) March 29, 2025 About Hochigai Shrine The name so this shrine is extremely unusual. 方違 usually involves avoiding traveling in unlucky directions or at unlucky times. Built on a location known as “Mikuniyama” or sometimes “Mikunioka”, it’s right on the border of three provinces of Settsu, Kawachi, and Izumi but does not belong to any of them, thus has no direction. Pilgrims of the Kumado Kodo visited this shrine to ward off unlucky directions before heading south. Nowadays it’s often visited by people who are about to go in a new direction in life, such…

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Bansho-ji – Setsubun 2024 Special

Bansho-ji 万松寺 Nagoya (名古屋) February 3, 2024 About Banshi-ji Bansho-ji is a very modern and flashy looking Buddhist temple that really fits in nicely with the surrounding arcades and electronics stores, but it’s roots are very old. It was built by the Oda family in 1540 and the funeral for the father of Oda Nobunaga, Oda Nobuhide, was held here. It now houses the mortuary tablets for the Oda family. It’s popular with goshuin fans because they have a lot of beautiful designs that change every month. My Visit My husband and I were in the area because he had…

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Bansho-ji – Cut Paper Dragon 2024

Bansho-ji 万松寺 Nagoya (名古屋) January 3, 2024 About Bansho-ji Bansho-ji is a very modern and flashy looking Buddhist temple that really fits in nicely with the surrounding arcades and electronics stores, but it’s roots are very old. It was built by the Oda family in 1540 and the funeral for the father of Oda Nobunaga, Oda Nobuhide, was held here. It now houses the mortuary tablets for the Oda family. It’s popular with goshuin fans because they have a lot of beautiful designs that change every month. I went specifically for their new year designs and got two versions: a…

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Bansho-ji – Dragon Two Piece 2024 Special

Bansho-ji 万松寺 Nagoya (名古屋) January 3, 2024 About Banshi-ji Bansho-ji is a very modern and flashy looking Buddhist temple that really fits in nicely with the surrounding arcades and electronics stores, but it’s roots are very old. It was built by the Oda family in 1540 and the funeral for the father of Oda Nobunaga, Oda Nobuhide, was held here. It now houses the mortuary tablets for the Oda family. It’s popular with goshuin fans because they have a lot of beautiful designs that change every month. I went specifically for their new year designs and got two versions: this…

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Kobi Shrine

Kobi Shrine 古井神社 Minokamo (美濃加茂市) January 1, 2024 About Kobi Shrine Kobi Shrine is a shrine in the Kobi area of Minokamo, Gifu Prefecture. The dieties enshrined here are Emperor Ojin, Sugawara no Michizane, Sosano no Mikoto. My Visit We moved to Minokamo in the fall of 2023, making this our first new year in our new house. My family stayed home for the new year despite being able to travel now just for this reason. We got up for the sunrise and went back to bed and didn’t get up again until lunchtime. I dressed myself in my mother…

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Itsukushima Shrine

Goshuin for Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Jinja 厳島神社 Hiroshima (広島) December 1, 2023 About Itsukushima Shrine I think we’ve all seen it. The photo of the floating torii gate on the water. Images of a shrine surrounded by the sea. That’s Itsukushima Shrine. Itsukushima Shrine is located on the island of Itsukushima, better known as Miyajima, located just off the coast of Hiroshima. As lovers of Japanese history and literature are probably aware, it is also a major location in the Heike Monogatari. This is an old Japanese tale of the fall of the Taira. While he did not build the original shrine, the shrine…

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Kumano Kotai Shrine (Pop-up Yatagarasu Goshuin) (Nagano Side)

– Kumano Kotai Shrine – 熊野皇大神社- Karuizawa (軽井沢) – July 22, 2022 Kumano Kotai Shrine is one of the many shrines located along the Nakasendo Highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo. Built right on the border between modern day Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture, you can straddle the border and literally be in both prefectures at once. There’s even a plate set into the ground marking the line. We had a good time hopping back and forth across the line. This is by far the coolest goshuin that I own. It’s a pop-up goshuin! How nifty is that? You can find…

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Kumano Kotai Shrine (Famous Regional Features) (Nagano Side)

– Kumano Kotai Shrine – 熊野皇大神社- Karuizawa (軽井沢) – July 22, 2022 Kumano Kotai Shrine is one of the many shrines located along the Nakasendo Highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo. Built right on the border between modern day Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture, you can straddle the border and literally be in both prefectures at once. There’s even a plate set into the ground marking the line. We had a good time hopping back and forth across the line. There are several goshuin available at this shrine. This is one of the special ones available on the Nagano Prefecture side…

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Ginkaku-ji/Jisho-ji Goshuin

Ginkaku-ji / Jisho-ji 銀閣寺・慈照寺 Kyoto (京都) March 27, 2022 About Ginkaku-ji Ginkaku-ji, also known as the Silver Pavilion in English, is the more common name for Jisho-ji. It is a Rinzai sect Zen temple on the east side of Kyoto. The temple was built during the Muromachi Period by Ashikaga Yoshimasa as a retirement villa. Some people hear the name and immediately think of the shinier, more famous Kinkaku-ji, but it is a different temple entirely, though there is a connection. Kinkaku-ji was built by Yoshimasa’s grandfather and he used it as a model for his Ginkaku-ji My Visit Like…

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Ishikiri Tsurugiya Shrine Goshuin

Ishikiri Tsurugiya Shrine 石切劔箭神社 Osaka (名古屋) January 3, 2022 About Ishikiri Tsuruga Shrine Ishikiri Tsuruga Shrine has a long history dating back to 659BC (over 2,000 years ago) during the reign of the first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu. Both Umashimade-no-mikoto and Nigihayahi-no-mikoto in Miyayama are worshipped here. The power of the gods were said to be able to cut stone, thus the name “Ishikiri.” The deities are also believed to be able to help cure tumors. Locals often call the shrine “Ishikiri-san” It also houses the sword known as Ishikiri-maru and is a popular stop for fans of Touken…

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