“Too cool!” The first shrine visit Goshuin of “Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin
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“Gorgeous and splendid” first shrine visit Goshuin
In a previous article, we introduced the special autumn stamp (goshuin) offered at the Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin. Starting from the New Year, distribution of a limited edition New Year’s stamp (goshuin) will be available.
Next year being the Year of the Dragon, a luxurious stamp featuring a powerful dragon depicted in paper-cut art has been created.
The design is based on the auspicious colors of gold and red, with the powerful characters of “Fudo Myoo,” the main deity of Naritasan, boldly printed in silver foil.
In Buddhism, there are seven treasures known as the “Seven Jewels,” among which gold and silver are included, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.
A goshuin designed with a dragon in honor of the Year of the Dragon
The goshuin features an incredibly luxurious and intricate paper-cut artwork of a dragon. The original drawing for this was created by the vice chief priest of Goouzan Kannon-ji, located in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture.
The vice chief priest here has created numerous artistic goshuin and illustrations, including powerful sumi-e (ink paintings). Their work is showcased on YouTube and Instagram, so if you’re interested, please do take a look.
We handled the process of incorporating the received original drawing into the overall design and converting it into paper-cut artwork in-house. While there are usually some deformations necessary during the process of paper-cutting, such as to achieve a flowing brushstroke effect, this time we aimed to faithfully reproduce the original drawing as much as possible.
Introduction to Goouzan Kannon-ji Temple
Goouzan Kannon-ji Temple belongs to the same Shingon sect as Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. Located in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture, it is situated very close to Tsushima Station on the Meitetsu Line.
When it comes to Tsushima, it’s well known as the kitchen of the Oda clan, and it prospered in the past as a vital water transportation hub. It’s said that the Oda clan, which was a minor force in Owari Province, was able to rise to power and unify the country due in part to the economic strength of Tsushima.
The economic and religious heart of Tsushima was the Goto Tenno Shrine, now known as Tsushima Shrine. From the Sengoku period to the Edo period, the widely revered Goto Tenno flourished greatly, and along with it, Kannon-ji Temple, one of the temples of Tsushima Shrine at the time, also prospered.
Originally known as “Sanko-zan Ekoin Kannon-bo,” Kannon-ji Temple was recognized as having temple land from five villages with a seal from Oda Nobunaga, as evidenced by a letter from Oda Nobutada in the 2nd year of Tensho (1574). It seems to have been relocated to Tsushima around this time.
During the Toyotomi era, a letter from Tanaka Yoshimasa, who served Toyotomi Hidetsugu at the time, recognized the temple as the guardian of Mount Hakusan by the Toyotomi family. This indicates its association with Hakusan faith and suggests it garnered widespread devotion.
Subsequently, it seems that the temple underwent significant changes due to the anti-Buddhist policies of the Meiji era. However, today it is a venerable temple, cherished by many as a place for Goma prayer ceremonies dedicated to Fudo Myoo, its principal deity.