"Connecting with God" Kesennuma Goshuin Stamp Tour Part 1

I'm Miki, a citizen writer who loves Kesennuma!

Doesn't your heart feel calmer when you visit a shrine or temple? At a temple or shrine, you can express your daily gratitude or make a wish... After praying, you will mysteriously feel like your back is straightened and your body is on edge. Not only in the local shrine or temple, but when you go out somewhere, you often stop by shrines and temples along the way or on the way there and back to pray, and after praying, you usually receive a goshuin (stamp). However, you often forget to bring your goshuin book...

Originally, goshuin stamps were given to temples and shrines as proof of submitting a copy of a sutra. Nowadays, they are widely available as proof of worship, and more and more people are visiting temples and shrines to receive goshuin stamps. I am one of them. However, goshuin stamps are not just stamps to commemorate worship. It is important to remember the original meaning of goshuin stamps, such as worshiping properly and showing respect. Also, even if you visit a temple or shrine, you may not be able to receive a goshuin stamp. There may be cases where the temple or shrine is unable to provide a goshuin stamp due to festivals or memorial services. Even if I am not able to receive one, I consider it a "fate" and try to receive one the next time I visit. If you have the opportunity to visit Kesennuma again, why not try to visit again?
The goshuin stamps are unique to each shrine or temple, with different ink inscriptions and seals. Looking at these goshuin stamps is one of the joys of returning from a trip.
This time, we will introduce some temples and shrines in Kesennuma where you can get goshuin stamps, so why not visit the shrines and temples in Kesennuma and pray to connect with the gods and Buddhas?

★Click here for the map of the shrines and temples introduced in the first and second parts of this article↓

*This article was published in May 2023, but some of the information has been updated.

Misaki Shrine

This magnificent shrine building sits at the tip of the Karakuwa Peninsula and has a history of over 1,500 years. The god of the sea is enshrined here, and it is said to bring good luck in areas such as safe voyages and good catches, so it has been a favorite of sailors since ancient times. It is also famous for matchmaking. Locals call it "Osaki-san," and at the festival held on the first day of the month of the lunar new year, tiger dances and Seven Lucky Gods dances are dedicated to the shrine. The stalls along the approach to the shrine sell local lucky toys such as "hajikisaru (a monkey that wards off misfortune)," "windmills," and "sappa-bune (a talisman for safety at sea)," attracting many visitors. Passing through the large vermilion-painted torii gate and walking along the cedar-lined approach to the shrine, you will see a parking lot and a stone torii gate. Going up the stairs from the stone torii gate will bring you to a magnificent worship hall. The shrine is usually quiet and dignified, and since it is close to the sea, you can hear the sound of the waves.

Located at the tip of the Karakuwa Peninsula, there is a promenade surrounding Misaki Cape where you can take a little stroll. In early spring, you can see many camellia flowers, and along the promenade there is a legend that a whale once guided a fishing boat caught in a storm to the sea off Misaki Shrine and saved it safely, and there is also a "Whale Tomb" dedicated to the spirit of this whale. As you walk along the promenade, you can see the Pacific Ocean through the trees, so after visiting the shrine, why not take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the seaside scenery?

Hayama Shrine

This shrine is associated with Lord Kajiwara Kagetoki, who appears in the 2022 NHK Taiga drama "The 13 Lords of the Kamakura." Hayama Shrine, located in Karakuwa-cho, Kesennuma City, was founded in the 5th year of the Kenpo era by Kajiwara Kagezane, the older brother of the Kamakura military commander Kajiwara Kagetoki, and has long been worshipped as "Hayama-san." There are village shrines in Mine and Shukuura, and an inner shrine at the top of Mount Hayama.
Before the first head priest, Kagezane, left Kamakura, he prayed for safe childbirth for Hojo Masako at the direct command of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and she gave birth to a boy (Minamoto no Yoriie) safely, so it is said to be a blessing for safe childbirth and child-rearing. For that reason, many people visit the shrine from neighboring prefectures to make visits on the day of the ox and for shrine visits to newborn babies. Also, as it is named after a fast horse, it is deeply revered as a divine virtue that ensures that winning horses will win, and that everything will go well quickly, including exams, work, food, clothing, shelter, and family life. There is also a "petting horse" on the grounds, and it is said that if you make a wish for "everything to go well" and stroke its head or legs, your wish will come true.

In addition, the "Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Reach Point Recovery Prayer Monument" was erected to convey to future generations that the approximately 15m tsunami that struck Hayama Shrine during the Great East Japan Earthquake and the horror of tsunamis.
In addition to the regular goshuin (written or pre-written), you can also get seasonal goshuin (pre-written only). Incidentally, 2026 is the Year of the Horse, and Hayama Shrine is celebrating its once-in-12-years auspicious year, the "Hayama Shrine Horse Year Auspicious Year," so they are offering limited-edition goshuin for the Year of the Ox.

Kitano Shrine

Kitano Shrine is about a 10-minute walk from JR Kesennuma Station. If you are walking, you can approach the main hall from the front approach, or if you are driving, from the back approach. The deity worshipped is Sugawara no Michizane, who is affectionately known locally as "Kesennuma no Otenjin-san." From the front approach, you can climb up the stone steps, from which you can see the Kesennuma cityscape. The approach to the shrine used to cross over the JR Ofunato Line tracks, but the Ofunato Line was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and after the disaster the tracks were replaced with a dedicated road for the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system. There is also a brush mound beside the approach.
Usually, the lion dogs in the shrine grounds are "A-gata" on the left side (right side when facing the shrine) from the god's perspective, and "Un-gata" on the right side from the god's perspective, and the lion dogs at Kitano Shrine are the same, but the A-un of the twin dragons on the beams of the main shrine are reversed. I didn't even notice until the chief priest asked me. This is because the shrine building was previously enshrined in a different location facing north, and was later moved to its current location on Tenjinyama facing south and enshrined there. There is also a "Wisdom Cow" in the shrine grounds, which is said to grant wisdom and make you wise when you rub its head.

Kitano Shrine is filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms, cherry blossoms in full bloom, and fresh greenery as the seasons change. It also offers visitors lush autumn foliage and snowy landscapes all around, providing enjoyment and healing to the worshippers in every season.
Additionally, in the Sanriku coastal region in northern Miyagi Prefecture, there is a custom of decorating Shinto altars with paper-cutting crafts known as "kiriko" to mark various annual events such as welcoming the New Year. Kitano Shrine also has many paper-cut "kiriko" ornaments, such as "Good Luck Fukurokuju," "Seven Lucky Gods," and "Ebisu offerings."

Fudaiji Temple

Fudaiji, an ancient temple of the Soto sect, is located west of Kesennuma city, across the JR Ofunato Line's Kesennuma Station from the north, and is known as the 30th temple of the Oshu Thirty-three Kannon temples. Passing through the mountain gate and climbing the stone steps, you will find the main hall directly ahead, to the left of which is an elaborately ornate hexagonal Kannon hall that is extremely rare in Japan, and to the right is a garden with a pond, and as soon as you step inside you will be enveloped in a tranquil atmosphere.
In the main hall, the principal image of the temple, Shakyamuni Buddha, is enshrined, and looking up, you can see birds in the four corners of the coffered ceiling, and colorful flowers in the other squares, all of which have been offered to the Buddha. In one corner of the main hall, 4 Kannon statues have been donated by a Buddhist sculptor who teaches Buddhist statue carving classes at Fudoji Temple, as a memorial for those who died in the Great East Japan Earthquake. People aged between 92 and XNUMX from Hokkaido to Okinawa have carved the statues, and prayers are written on the backs of the statues.

The Rokkaku Kannon Hall houses the principal image of the temple, the Nyoirin Kannon Bodhisattva, which is open to the public once every 33 years. The inside and outside of the hall are painted vermilion, and the roof is a hexagonal pyramid shaped and covered with red tiles. It is said to have been made by Kesen carpenters, and as a valuable example of temple and shrine architecture from the mid-Edo period, it has been designated a tangible cultural property of Miyagi Prefecture.
In front of the main hall, there is an impressive fir tree that is said to be 500 years old, with a height of about 28 meters and a trunk circumference of 4.73 meters! In the past, drums were placed between the trunk and branches of this fir tree, and local Bon Odori dances were held around the tree. I can just picture it. This fir tree has been designated as a natural monument of Kesennuma City.

To be continued in the second part! Click here for the second part↓