Goshuin – Japan’s hidden souvenir

If you’re going to Japan and are looking for a uniquely personal souvenir to take home with you, I really recommend collecting goshuin, aka prayer seals from the temples and shrines scattered throughout Japan.

A goshuin is composed of a red stamp, with either the name of the shrine or a Buddhist sutra hand-written in black ink. Each seal is different – some are traditional, others cute, with some being unique works of art that change with the seasons (you can check out my guide to collecting special goshuin here, along with my collection).

This relatively unknown practice (to foreigners at least) is a great way of recording your visit. Aside from being a very special reminder of your trip, collecting goshuin is also a great way to circumvent that ‘templed out’ feeling that you can sometimes get, especially in Kyoto. It can get quite addictive!

Want to skip the explainer? Click the links below for easy access to my goshuin collection by region/ 私の御朱印コレクションは以下です。 ^_^

Tokyo 東京 | Kamakura/Hase/Enoshima 鎌倉  | Hakone 箱根 | Nagoya名古屋 | Takayama, Gifu 高山 | Kanazawa 金沢  | Nagano 長野 | Togakushi 戸隠 |Kyoto 京都 | Ise 伊勢市 | Hiroshima/ Miyajima 広島市 | Osaka 大阪市 | Kagoshima/ Sakurajima 鹿児島市 |  Kashima City 鹿島市 | Mt Koya/Koyasan 高野山 | Nikko 日光市 

(For full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links. When you click and make a purchase through some of the links on this page, I may earn a small commission. This doesn’t come at any additional cost to you. Many thanks for your support!)

So how do I collect goshuin?

You collect goshuin in a goshuin-chō, or prayer seal book. They cost around ¥1500 (£10) if you buy one from a temple or shrine directly. You can also buy goshuinchō from stationery stores although they’re typically a bit more expensive. For example, the two woodcut goshuinchō below were around ¥3000 (£20) each but I’m sure you can see why!

If you’re buying a goshuinchō from a store like Tokyu Hands or Loft, make sure it’s a goshuinchō rather than a notebook – you can usually tell by the fact that goshuinchō pages are folded like an accordion.

Here are mine! The two on the left-hand side are from Sensōji temple in Asakusa (top) and Katase-Suwa shrine near Enoshima (bottom). The two woodcut designs on the right-hand side are made by a company called Cru-Cial. They make lots of beautiful woodcut designs and also have an instagram! I bought the rainbow design from Tokyu Hands and the rabbit design from Meiji Jingu.

 

Okay, I’ve bought my goshuinchō. What’s next?

Great! Get yourself to a shrine or temple and look for a sign for ‘御朱印’ (the last kanji looks like the letters ‘EP’ which is what I use when I’m scanning around). If you can’t find one, you can always ask “goshuin ga arimasu ka?” (Is there a goshuin?) to one of the priests at the souvenir counters. Even if you don’t speak Japanese, you should be able to pick up whether there is one or not (“Hai” is yes, “iie” is no although you’re less likely to hear “iie” used).

Once you’re at the right place, you can say “goshuin o onegaishimasu” (go-shoe-een o o-neh-guy-she-mass), which is basically a polite way of asking for the goshuin.

In many cases you can watch these being hand-drawn/stamped right in front of your very eyes. However, at busier shrines you may be given a token and be asked to return after a set amount of time, or you might receive a pre-written goshuin that you’ll have to stick in your book later. (On my most recent visit in November 2022 the majority of the goshuin I received were pre-written – I’m assuming this was for a number of pandemic-related reasons).

Once the goshuin is complete, you pay by putting the coins in the little container on the table (goshuin typically cost 300-500 yen (£2.10- £3.50)) and say ‘arigatou gozaimasu’ as you receive your goshuinchō. That’s all there is to it!

How the heck do I find all these shrines and temples?

Although you’ll likely be visiting some of the more famous ones anyway, it’s actually really easy to stumble across temples and shrines just as you’re walking around. Still, it’s good to know what’s in the area you’re visiting. With that in mind, I’ve created some Google Maps clustered around the main tourist spots that should make it easier for you to get those goshuin (all are accessible via public transport). The links to these can be found below.

Can you show me some examples of goshuin I might want to get myself?

You bet! Below is a list of shrines and temples that are well worth visiting, along with the goshuin they offer, and the Google maps you can use to find them! I’ve only listed ones I’ve visited (or ones where I know you won’t be disappointed) so you can see what you’ll be getting.

Tokyo 東京 | Kamakura/Hase/Enoshima 鎌倉  | Hakone 箱根 | Nagoya名古屋 | Takayama, Gifu 高山 | Kanazawa 金沢  | Nagano 長野 | Togakushi 戸隠 |Kyoto 京都 | Ise 伊勢市 | Hiroshima/ Miyajima 広島市 | Osaka 大阪市 | Kagoshima/ Sakurajima 鹿児島市 |  Kashima City 鹿島市 | Mt Koya/Koyasan 高野山 | Nikko 日光市 |

Tokyo goshuin

Key temples and shrines worth visiting are:

• Sensōji temple, Asakusa (金龍山浅草寺)
• Asakusa shrine – this shrine is next door to Sensōji temple. (浅草神社)
• Imado shrine, Asakusa – there are cat statues everywhere! (今戸神社)
• Akiba shrine – this shrine is between Asakusa and Ueno and offers omamori for protection from fire. (秋葉神社)
• Ono Terusaki shrine (小野照崎神社)
• Hanazono Inari shrine, Ueno Park (花園稲荷神社)
• Gojoten shrine, Ueno Park – same location as Hanazono Inari (五條天神社)
• Bentendo (Daikokuten goshuin), Ueno Park (不忍池大黒天堂) 
• Bentendo (Benzaiten goshuin), Ueno Park – same location as above (不忍池辯天堂)
• Yushima Tenjin shrine – this is close to Ueno Park (湯島天満宮)
• Kanda Myoujin shrine, Akihabara (神田神社)
• Gotoinari shrine – this is the December goshuin but the regular goshuin has the same design, just minus the santa hat! (五十稲荷神社)
• Karasumori shrine – this design is for new year but the original is similar – and just as colourful! (烏森神社)
• Atago shrine – if you’ve seen Tokyo Vice you might recognise this shrine! (愛宕神社)
• Hoshuin temple, near Tokyo Tower (宝珠院)
• Zojoji temple, also near Tokyo Tower (増上寺)
• Hie shrine (日枝神社)
• Toyokawa Inari shrine (豊川稲荷東京別院)
• Miyamasumitake shrine, Shibuya – this is really hard to find so use my map! (宮益御嶽神社)
• Meiji Jingu shrine, Shibuya (明治神宮)
• Hanazono shrine, Shinjuku (花園神社)
• Takaoyama Yakuouin Yukiji temple, Mt Takao – it’s about an hour away from Tokyo and well worth a visit! (髙尾山 薬王院 有喜寺)

Here is my Tokyo goshuin google map link

 

Kamakura, Hase, and Enoshima goshuin

Key temples and shrines worth visiting are:

• Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, Kamakura (鶴岡八幡宮)
• Hataage Benzaiten shrine – this is close to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, above (旗上弁財天社)
• Kōtoku-in, Hase – this is where the giant buddha statue is (鎌倉大仏殿高徳院)
• Hasedera, Hase – this temple also has a lovely garden to walk through (長谷寺)
• Goryo shrine, Hase – during the summer, hydrangeas grow here (御霊神社)
• Katase suwa Jinja, Enoshima – this shrine has an absolutely gorgeous meteor omamori available; it’s also where I purchased my goshuin-cho above (諏訪神社)
• Enoshima Shrine, which is on Enoshima itself (江島神社 辺津宮)
• Enoshima Daishi (江の島大師)

Here is my Kamakura, Hase and Enoshima goshuin google map link.

Hakone goshuin

I only have the one goshuin from Hakone, and it’s from Hakone Shrine (箱根神社). There are actually four goshuin available – I liked this design best which is for Shichifukujin Ebisu Shrine.

Nagoya goshuin

The shrines/temples below are all relatively close to each other.

• Miwa Shrine – this shrine has lots of bunny-related objects everywhere (三輪神社)
• Banshoji – this temple has lots of goshuin available and is also in the middle of a shopping area! (万松寺)
• Osu Kannon (大須観音)

Here is my Nagoya goshuin google map.

 

Takayama goshuin, Gifu prefecture

Key temples and shrines worth visiting are:

• Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine (櫻山八幡宮)
• Hida Tenmangu Shrine (飛騨天満宮)
• Hie Shrine – I love the monkey design! (日枝神社)

Here is my Takayama goshuin google map.

 

Kanazawa goshuin

Key temples and shrines worth visiting are:

• Ishiura Shrine (石浦神社)
• Kanazawa Shrine (金澤神社)
• Oyama Shrine (尾山神社)
• Utasu Shrine – watch out for the hidden ninja here! (宇多須神社) 

Here is my Kanazawa goshuin google map.

Nagano and Yudanaka Onsen goshuin

Key temples and shrines worth visiting are:

• Zenkoji Temple (善光寺)
• Daikanjin Gomado Temple (this is close to Zenkoji) – I love this goshuin which is meant to be for plague extermination! (大勧進 護摩堂)
• Omoteshoin Temple (again, near Zenkoji) (表書院)
• Shakadosesonin Temple (again, near Zenkoji) (釈迦堂世尊院)
• Takei Shrine (武井神社)
• World Peace Kannon / Sekai Heiwa Kannon – this is in Yudanaka Onsen, near-ish the snow monkey park (世界平和観音)

Here is my Nagano and Yudanaka Onsen goshuin map.

 

Togakushi shrine goshuin

Togakushi shrine, a little way out of Nagano, is made up of five shrines in three locations (more or less):

• Togakushi Hōkōsha – lower shrine (戸隠宝光社)
• Hinomikosha (火之御子社)
• Togakushi Chūsha – middle shrine  (戸隠中社)
• Togakushi Okusha – upper shrine (戸隠奥社)
• Kuzuryusha – you receive this goshuin at the same place as the upper shrine (九頭龍社)

Here is my Togakushi shrine goshuin map.

 

Kyoto (and surrounding area) goshuin

Key temples and shrines worth visiting are:

• Kiyomizudera, East Kyoto (清水寺)
• Yasaka Kōshindō Temple, East Kyoto (very colourful!) (八坂庚申堂)
• Yasui Konpira-gu Shrine, East Kyoto (安井金比羅宮)
• Chion-in, part of Nanzenji Temple, East Kyoto (知恩院) – the Sanmon Gate is huge!
• Fushimi Inari, South Kyoto (伏見稲荷大社; 奥社奉拝所) – there are actually three goshuin to collect here at the various shrines up the mountain but I gave up halfway.
• Heian Shrine, East Kyoto (平安神宮)
• Yasaka Shrine, East Kyoto (八坂神社)
• Nishiki Tenmangu, Central Kyoto (錦天満宮)
• Hozoji Temple, East Kyoto (宝蔵寺) – I don’t have this one but it’s a super cool skull design.
• Kinkakuji (Golden Pavillion), North-West Kyoto (金閣寺)
• Hirano Shrine, North-West Kyoto (平野神社)
• Kitano Tenmangū, North-West Kyoto (北野天満宮)
• Kurama-dera and Yuki shrine, Kurama (鞍馬山 鞍馬寺; 由岐神社) – it’s a train ride north out of Kyoto and well worth a visit!
• Tōdaiji temple, Tamukeyama Hachimangū, and Kasuga Taisha in Nara (東大寺; 手向山八幡宮; 春日大社) – again, slightly out of Kyoto.
• Tenryuji temple, Jōjakōji temple, Giouji temple, Nonomiya shrine, Rakushisha – Arashiyama, West Kyoto (天龍寺; 常寂光寺; 祇王寺; 野宮神社; 落柿舎)

You can find my Kyoto goshuin map link here.

Ise goshuin

• Ise Grand Shrine (Outer) (豊受大神宮)
• Ise Grand Shrine (Inner) (伊勢神宮) – they have chickens roaming around!
• Sarutahiko shrine (猿田彦神社) – which is very close to the Inner Shrine.

You can find my Ise goshuin google map here.

 

Hiroshima/ Miyajima goshuin

• Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine (廣島護國神社) – this is near Hiroshima Castle
• Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima (嚴島神社)
• Daiganji Temple, Miyajima (大願寺)
• Daisho-in Temple, Miyajima (大聖院)

You can find my Hiroshima and Miyajima goshuin map here.

Osaka goshuin

• Yasaka Namba Shrine (難波八阪神社) – aka the Lion Head shrine
• Ohatsu Tenjin (露天神社)
• Hōzenji Temple (法善寺) – it features a moss-covered statue that you can water.
• Sukunahikona Shrine (少彦名神社) – I only have two of the special goshuin from this shrine (which you can see here), however the larger goshuin design changes every few weeks or so. They also only offer one if it’s raining (which has a gorgeous umbrella design!)

You can find my Osaka goshuin google map here.

 

Kagoshima/ Sakurajima goshuin

• Terukuni shrine, Kagoshima (照國神社)
• Tsukiyomi shrine, Sakurajima (月讀神社)

Here is my Kagoshima/ Sakurajima goshuin google map.

 

Kashima City (Saga prefecture) goshuin

• Yutoku Inari, Kashima City (祐徳稲荷神社)

Here is my Yutoku Inari goshuin google map.

Koyasan goshuin

• Gokusho (奥の院 御供所) – part of the Okunoin temple area
• Okunoin Temple (奥之院)
• Ekoin Temple (恵光院) – this is on my special goshuin page

Here is my Koyasan goshuin google map.

 

Nikkō goshuin

• Gomado (pictured below), Sanbutsudo (again pictured below and also on my special goshuin page), Yakushido, Taiyun, Jyougyodo, Kuromon – all part of the Rinnoji temple complex
• Tōshōgū Shrine (日光東照宮)
• Nikkō Futarasan Shrine (日光二荒山神社)

You can find my Nikko goshuin google map here.