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| Top of Risshakuji during summer |
If you love Japanese temples and shrines and is looking for something that you'd love to keep (and unique to your own), consider temple stamps!
I would like to share something special in Tohoku that I don't think I have noticed much written in full details in English yet.
In Japanese temples, we can collect temple stamps called Goshuin. But if you are into something more interesting than just collecting Goshuins, consider this activity in Tohoku called Shiji Kairo!
They are like stamp rallies - you pay a visit to a certain list of temples, then you can pay and collect stamps. Of course, Shiji Kairo is not the only place that you can do this (you can do the 7-temple primilege in Onomichi too but I personally like to share about Shiji Kairo in Tohoku better, since I actually managed to finish a cycle before the new Reiwa Era.
So, what is this Shiji Kairo thing?
Shiji Kairo (四寺廻廊) is an activity where you pay a visit to the 4 important temples founded by Ennin (円仁) a.k.a. Jikaku Daishi (慈覺大師). What makes this popular is that, these locations were also visited by the late poet Matsuo Basho.Basho-sensei has written poems that beautifully describes various places that he have visited that portrays the beauty of each place, in his work named "Oku no Hosomichi". You can find some pillars/ stone blocks that has his works on it in all four of these temples (and places nearby too).
What are the four temples? Where are they?
1) Chusonji in Hiraizumi, Iwate prefecture
Chusonji is listed as the national treasure of Japan. To go there, you can take a bus from Hiraizumi station and climb up a slope. You will find multiple temples here but for the stamp, you'll need to go to the main hall.Chusonji is my third stop of Shiji Kairo in April.
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| Outside of Chusonji's entrance |
The temple gives a relaxing vibe, and has a surprising amount of Taiwanese tourists. When I was there, I was able to enter the interior of temples and see their exhibition of the temple's history, and some artworks by a local artist.
What makes this place nice is also the slope. It has nice rows of trees and is very eye-pleasing. Though the slopes might not be so suitable for those with weak legs. There are benches along the way if you need some rest, though!
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| The slope up to Chusonji |
Also Chusonji has this hall called Konjikido. It's a hall decorated in gold foils, and is one of the three temples that are heavily decorated with gold foils in Japan. The other two are Kinkakuji of Kyoto, and Taiyuin of Nikko. It is so beautifully decorated with a lot of beautiful details in it using colorful shells and golden leaf. If you leave Konjikido there is also a small hut that shows how the decorations are made (in Japanese) as well.
2) Motsuji in Hiraizumi, Iwate prefecture
Motsuji is also part of the heritage sites in Hiraizumi of Iwate prefecture. It was actually my second stop for this round of Shiji kairo. The temple's main prayer hall is below:
But for the stamp, the counter is very close to the entrance.
What Motsuji offers, is their beautiful garden with pond.
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| The pond of Motsuji |
If you visit during summer you get to see patches of iris flowers as well! The iris flowers are donated by Meiji Jingu. But if you visit during spring, there are some sakura trees that are beautiful outside (there's one inside too).
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| Sakura tree outside Motsuji's entrance |
Going to Motsuji was an easy 15-minute or so walk from Hiraizumi Station. I visited this place early morning so the streets were fairly quiet, but there are some little shops that you can drop by with friendly obasans!
3) Yamadera Risshakuji in Yamagata prefecture
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| Yamadera Risshakuji Temple (not the hiking place yet) |
Risshakuji has its main temple that is only a short walk (in 10 mins) from Yamadera station. If you are up to hiking, you can consider hiking the mountain that actually it's just a couple of flights of stairs totaling up to about 1000 steps (you can rest midway, there are observatory spots that are great too! You can hike with a small fee of 300 yen. This place is my final stop of my Shiji Kairo.
Before hiking you can also buy konjac with mustard. It has became my favorite local snack. I'd eat them again and again! It's a healthy snack and it was also said to give you a lot of energy (well I didn't really feel as tired as I thought I would be since I ran out of breath climbing Batu Caves with only 272 steps). It took me less than 2 hours to return back to the train station.
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| If I remembered them correctly they were 100 JPY per stick |
The stamp collection doesn't require you to hike, by the way! But the view is amazing!
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| Almost arriving the top of Yamadera |
A local lady from Sendai told me that she frequently visited Yamadera, and the time I visited in April was perfect because there are both sakura and also the snow-capped mountains in the same view! (I hiked on 23 April 2019).
4) Zuiganji in Matsushima, Miyagi prefecture
This was my first stop of Shiji kairo in April 2019. Coming here with the intent to pray as well as to take some good shots of graduation photos, I've decided to visit Matsushima.You can buy the entrance ticket via a machine to Zuiganji. Then, you can let the staff know that you wanted a Shiji Kairo stamp. You'll be most likely to leave your book there (if this isn't your first stop) and get a waiting number. The staff will let you to visit the insides of the hall before coming back for your stamped book.
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| Waiting number |
Zuiganji gives a strong impression where it offers a museum where you can understand the history of the temple as well as the treasures, how this place is made and what it is made of. They have some nice plum blossoms in the temple as well.
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| Before entering the halls of Zuiganji |
Inside Zuiganji halls, photography is not allowed in most regions. There are more artefacts and I can't help to gasp along the way. "No wonder it is the most famous zen temple in Tohoku!" was what went through my mind. I could spend hours in this temple.
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| Temple monks outside the Kuri (Zen Kitchen) |
I also think that Date Masamune has lived an honorable life (despite losing an eye) when he restored this place as his family temple with the decors inside.
There are also cedar trees (though many were damaged in the 2011 tsunami). There are also statues and caves.
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| Rows of cedar tree |
Behind the cedar trees the caves were also said to be used for meditation. Now it's just full of statues.
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| Meditation Caves and Statues |
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| Sakura in full bloom |
This place is also an easy 10 minute walk from Matsushimakaigan station, which is less than an hour from Sendai station. You can try the zunda-flavored items here. Also, Matsushima is famous for their oysters!
What's so nice about this activity?
What is great about shiji kairo is that, in each temple you can get a stamp, and after collecting a stamp (goshuin) from each temple (order doesn't matter), you can get a shikishi from the last temple you visited! There are four different versions, so some people visit four times of different orders to get all four types of shikishi.Below is one of the shikishi I've collected:
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| Shikishi from Yamadera Risshakuji |
Of course, collecting is not the only thing that is great about it.
How do you start with shiji kairo?
First, you get a book for stamps from the first temple of visit. You will need to tell them that you are doing the Shiji kairo. There will be a goshuin book with your first stamp totaling of 1000 yen. Each stamp will be 300 yen. Now you have your stamp and you can begin your collection!Your book looks like this:
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| Cover for Shiji Kairo book |
Things to take note of
1. Do not make it a place as a touch-and-go place and keep your manners. It is a form of courtesy to visit with a heart that seeks to pay respect. It would be more polite if you can bring juzu (beads) and/or wagesa (a robe). These items are Buddhist accessories, but it is not necessary to bring/wear them for your visits.2. The Shiji Kairo book is not usable for other goshuins. Because it'll look like this and is fully occupied when four temples are done.
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| Completed Shiji Kairo Book |
3. Many of these places have a no-camera restriction, please make sure not to take photos/ videos of the camera-prohibited areas.
4. Please wear appropriately to a temple.
Tips for tourists (short term visitors, non-Japanese passport holder)
If you are a foreign tourist, you can consider to purchase your JR East (Tohoku Area) pass or JR Pass (Nationwide) to reach these regions. The regions in Tohoku are beautiful so you can definitely stay a couple of nights in each place!I've written a post about this JR Pass that you can consider reading too! If you need more references about the activity you can check the links that I'll put in the next segment.
Until next time!
Other references
For those who want to learn more, I have attached some links below. Hope the above helps!1) Shiji Kairo (Japanese): https://www.shijikairou.com/index.cgi?cid=1
2) 5-day itinerary for Shiji Kairo (English): https://travel.navitime.com/…/jp/model-p…/detail/ntjplan166/
3) Oku no Hosomichi by Matsuo-sensei: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oku_no_Hosomichi
