What the book and the seals are
A pilgrim’s stamp book, usually called a nokyocho, is a folding book in which temples write in brush calligraphy and stamp their seals. The entry, commonly called a goshuin (honourable red seal), typically consists of three parts: the temple’s name or the name of its main image written in black ink, a date, and one or more red seals impressed over or beside the writing.
The books are available at many temples and at shops near them, and the covers range from plain to decorated. A pilgrim usually keeps one book for a given pilgrimage, such as the Shikoku circuit or the Saigoku circuit of Kannon temples, so that it becomes a continuous record of the journey. The books do not all look the same, and the arrangement varies by region.
Why they are not souvenirs
It is easy for a visitor to treat these seals like the stamps collected at tourist sights. For most Japanese people who keep them, they are something different. The tradition is generally traced back to the practice of copying sutras and offering the copies at a temple. The word nokyo refers to such offerings of a copied sutra, and the book that holds the receipts for them became the nokyocho. In many accounts, the seal acknowledges that the visitor made an offering and paid respects, which is why the stamp book is commonly carried with the same care as a religious object.
Many pilgrims keep their book on an altar at home, and some are buried with them or have them placed in a coffin, a custom reported in connection with several pilgrimages. These customs vary and are personal, and not every pilgrim shares them. The point is that the book is understood to be a devotional record.
How to request an entry
The usual sequence is simple, and temple staff can guide you if you are unsure:
- Pay respects at the main hall first, and at any other main hall the temple has, following the general order described in the article on henro temple rituals.
- Go to the stamp office, which is commonly called the nokyosho or shuin-jo, and which is often near the main hall or the temple office.
- Hand over the book open to the correct page, with a bow, and say a polite word of request. Some people hand it over with both hands.
- Pay the fee that is posted. Amounts change and are not listed here. Having small coins ready is considerate.
- Wait quietly. When it is returned, take it with both hands and thank the person.
Stamp offices have set hours, and entries are sometimes available only during limited periods or may be skipped on busy ceremonial days, so check current local information. Do not insist on an entry if the temple is closed.
Good manners
- Visit the temple first. Many people regard it as improper to ask for a stamp without having first prayed.
- Do not ask for a stamp for a book that is not your own, or for loose paper, unless the temple offers that option. Some temples provide a pre-written sheet for visitors.
- Avoid photographing the process unless you have asked, in keeping with temple photography etiquette.
- Do not use a book for entries from unrelated places that clash with its purpose; many people keep a separate book for shrines, since shrine seals belong to the Shinto tradition and are kept separately by many. The differences are touched on in the article on Japanese temple and shrine etiquette.
- Do not haggle over the fee, and do not treat staff as a service desk.
Reading an entry
A typical entry shows, at the centre, the name of the main image of the temple, such as a Buddha or a bodhisattva, in bold brush writing. You may see a mention of Kannon in an entry from a Kannon temple; the background on Kannon devotion explains why that figure is so widely honoured. At the side may be the temple’s name and the date of the visit, and a seal indicating the temple or the pilgrimage. A reader who cannot read the characters can ask the staff or consult a general guide, and should not assume that any translation is exact.
Care of the book
Keep it dry, clean and in a protective cover, and avoid placing it on the ground or on a restroom shelf. Pilgrims often carry it in a bag along with their name slips. It is a record that cannot be reproduced, since each entry reflects a particular visit, and it may become one of the most meaningful objects to come out of the journey. For the wider story of the Shikoku circuit that the book commonly records, see the overview of the Shikoku pilgrimage.