GOJOIN – CASTLE SEALS
One thing I didn’t expect to get deep into was Gojoin. Last year (2023) I visited a few castles, but didn’t focus on stamps. Japan released a few books with a stamp book. This was 100 Best Castles and subsequently, an additional 200 more castles ruins.
As I was planning to do this as part of my stamp quest, I came across the Gojoin seals, Castles version of a Goshuin. I couldn’t believe it and was excited just thinking getting a few seals. This article was the one that got me vested into Gojoin: https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/13158
I then found out that Gojoin also has it’s version of the book. A Gojoincho! I asked my friend Noguchi-san to order one as it was only sold in Japan.
I would visit these castles in March/April 2023:
- Himeji Castle
- Okayama Castle
- Takamatsu Castle
- Kokura Castle
- Fukuoka Castle
- Nijo Castle
- Okazaki Castle
In 2023, I went to Kanazawa, Nagoya, Himeji and Osaka castles, but didn’t really get any souvenirs or I just admired it from the outside (such as Nagoya Castle).
A few places offered multiple Gojoin and I would usually get all of them if they were different. There were some season (it was Sakura season) versions, so I would get those instead of the normal version.
I also got one that was for Noto Peninsula help.
I was waiting at Oyama station and decided to go to the tourist office to get memorial stamps. There I noticed they offered Gojoin for the local castle ruins! I was genuinely surprised.
- Gion Castle
- Washi Castle
- Nakakuki Castle
I saw something similar at the Oasis 21 tourist information center, but I didn’t realize that castle ruins having a gojoin was a thing! Nagoya and Gifu were Oda Nobunaga’s area… so it seams these seals were to celebrate him and the Battle of Okehazama. It was in the evening, so these weren’t available. The staff said to come back at 10am, where the person overseeing the gojoin was available. But seeing these were amazing and initially didn’t realize that Gojoin, especially with castles that don’t exist anymore, were sold at Tourist information centers.
By the end of the trip, I had amassed a lot of Gojoin and almost filling the Gojoincho. That was surprising.
July 2024
I’ve kind of got obsessed with seal and stamps. When I returned to Japan in July 2024, I wanted to make sure I get a lot of gojoin. This was also interesting as I was using the Hokuriku Arch Pass, giving me a different route than I would usually take (Tokaido Shinkansen route). While I did plan ahead and as much as possible, I still wasn’t able to cover as much as I wanted. LOL. I purposefully overplan my goals, so that I always have something to do and get on these trips.
Castles and places I did go:
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Matsumoto
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Takashima
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Ueda
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Komoro
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Takada
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Fukui
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Gujo hachiman
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Gifu
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Ogaki
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Nagahama
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Hikone
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Azuchi
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Kannonji
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Sawayama
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Nagoya
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Odawara
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Tanba Kameyama
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Akashi
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Iga-Koka Crossing
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Sekigahara Battlegrounds
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Nobunaga set (Castles in Shiga)
There were other places that I had in mind, but I either ran out of time or didn’t go to that area. Gojoin seals can be bought at various places such as tourist infor centers, museums or at the castle’s souvenir shop and they operate in regular business hours, usually closing at 4:00 to 5:00pm.
CONCLUSION
As of this writing (August 2024), I did miss many spots due to timing and logistics. I do plan to visit more places and back track to other castles that I have been to before. Many of the castles I need to visit or revisit also have the ‘100 Best Castles’ stamp, so there are dual reasons to go to these places.