---- A , also called "Go-shuin (御朱印)" as an

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...

, is a seal stamp given to worshippers and visitors to

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

s and

Buddhist temples A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhi ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The seal stamps are often collected in books called that are sold at shrines and temples. The stamps are different from commemorative stamps in that they are made by people who work at the shrines or temples: Shinto ''

Kannushi , also called , is the common term for a member of the clergy at a responsible for maintaining the shrine and leading worship of the there.* ''Kannushi'' (in Japanese), Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version The chara ...

or Buddhist Hōshi''. To create the shuin, the writer presses down one or more large stamps, and then uses black ink to write, in their distinctive calligraphy, the day of the visit, the name of the shrine or temple, as well as sometimes the names of the relevant

Kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

Buddhist deities Buddhism includes a wide array of divine beings that are venerated in various ritual and popular contexts. Initially they included mainly Indian figures such as devas, asuras and yakshas, but later came to include other Asian spirits and loc ...

, and other messages. There are various theories about the origin of shuin, though the strongest is that it was a receipt for a dedicated copied sutra. There are still temples where one cannot receive a shuin without having donated a sutra or money, but the majority of temples will now accept a small amount of money for a shuin. It usually costs 300 yen, though there are some places that charge up to 1000 yen. As shuin are given at both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, there is some discussion as to whether stamps from both shrines and temples can be written in the same ''shuinchō''. While ultimately a matter of personal preference, there are rare instances in which a shrine or temple may refuse to write a shuin if the ''shuinchō'' contains both Buddhist and Shinto stamps. Special ''shuinchō'' (and occasionally hanging scrolls) are available for people who do pilgrimages such as the

Kansai Kannon Pilgrimage The is a pilgrimage of thirty-three Buddhism, Buddhist temples throughout the Kansai region of Japan, similar to the Shikoku Pilgrimage. In addition to the official thirty-three temples, there are an additional three known as . The principal imag ...

and the

Shikoku Pilgrimage The or is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (''Kōbō Daishi'') on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long history, ...

. People who do the Shikoku Pilgrimage can also get shuin on the white robes they sometimes wear. A number of

Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran (founder) S ...

temples do not offer shuin, in order to discourage the practice of visiting for the sake of only collecting shuin.

Gallery

File:Saiɡokuɜɜ0ɨ.jpg, shuinchō (朱印帳) File:Shuin being made in Zentsuji - Kagawa - 2021 April 1.webm, Shuin being made in

Zentsū-ji The is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in Zentsūji, Kagawa, Japan. It was established in 807 by Kūkai, founder of Shingon Buddhism, who was born where the temple now stands. The oldest structure, the Shakadō Hall, dates to around 167 ...

, Kagawa File:Noukyoutyo.jpg, kasane-in (重ね印) File:Byakue.jpg, byakue (白衣) File:Omie01a.jpg, miei (御影) File:Kinensanɡe.jpg, sange (散華) File:写真.jpg, mangan (満願の証) File:大蓮寺.jpg, A shuin from Dairen-ji (大蓮寺) File:Tohorenɡyou.jpg, pilgrimage

References

Temples in Japan Shinto religious objects Buddhist symbols {{Japan-reli-stub