Funadama Shrine Goshuin

Funadama Shrine 船魂神社 Hakodate (函館市) July 26, 2025 (Reiwa 7) About Funadama Shrine A very old shrine in Hakodate, Funadama Shrine enshrines Watatsumi, Shitsuchioji, and Susanoo no Mikoto, all gods associated with water, the sea, and navigation. The shrine is situated up on the slopes leading up to Mt Hakodate, giving a great view of the harbor below. My Visit By the time we got to the shrine, we had marched all over town. We saw the red brick warehouses, the Old Public Hall, the Hakodate Orthodox Church, and more. The area the shrine is in is full of great…

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Myoshin-ji – Uryu Goshuin

Myoshin-ji 妙心寺 Kyoto (京都市) June 17, 2023 About Myoshin-ji Myoshin-ji is a large temple complex in Kyoto and the head temple for Renzai Zen Buddhism. Most of the buildings aren’t open to the public, but you can enter the quarters (kuri) and the main hall for a fee. The quarters include the gardens, kitchen, storage areas, etc of Buddhist monks and has been used for filming movies here in Japan. The main hall features a huge painting of a dragon in the clouds on the ceiling. No matter where you stand in the room, it seems to be looking at…

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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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Bansho-ji – Shogi Kisei Match

Bansho-ji 万松寺 Nagoya (名古屋) July 7, 2022 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. My Visit/This Goshuin News about the shogi player pictured on this goshuin, Sota…

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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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Kogane Shrine – Gold

Gold goshuin for Kogane Shrine

Kogane Shrine 金神社 Gifu (岐阜市) March 21, 2022 About Kogane Shrine Originally established in the year 135AD during the 5th year of Emperor Seimu’s reign, people have come to Kogane Shrine to pray for financial success for a long time. It is also one of the three shrines that participate in the Gifu Matsuri, the other two being Inaba Shrine and Kashimori Shrine. My Visit to Kogane Shrine It has been a while since I last visited in 2018. I didn’t know about Premium Gold Day (プレミアム金デイー) at the time and got my goshuin on regular paper. Their special gold…

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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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Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine – Spring 2021

Goshuin for Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine

Arakura Fuji Sengen Jinja 新倉富士浅間神社 Fujiyoshida (富士吉田市) April 30, 2021 (Reiwa 3) About Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine If you’ve seen the photo with the pagoda and Mt Fuji in the background, this is the place. Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine sits at the base of the trail up to the Arakurayama Sengen Park Observatory, where that pagoda is. The shrine itself is dedicated to the spirit of Mt Fuji and was founded in 705. The cherry blossoms here are also extremely famous. My Visit For my husband, Dude’s, first visit to Mt Fuji road trip, this was a must. I mean,…

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