Summer Flower Gardens and Paper Art of Nara Buddhist Temples

One popular custom of visitors to Buddhist temples in Japan is to receive, for a small payment, a “Go-Shuin” (literally, “Red Seal”), which is usually a stamped image related to the site, over which is a calligraphic inscription of the temple name and the date. Each Go-shuin is unique to its temple and so a collection makes a record of either one-off visits or more extended pilgrimage stops. Usually a special notebook (Go-Shuin cho) is purchased for the purpose of collecting, but priests will usually inscribe a normal piece of paper too, if asked. Old Go-shuin have already become sought after by collectors of art and historians, and new ones – many of them inventive – are just as desirable as both mementoes of special places and as examples of unusual design. On special occasions, Go-shuin are created as separate pieces, and from May 1st to July 31st, the three temples of Ryosenji, Gansenji, and Kikoji are offering exclusive stamps, made with the art of Japanese paper-cutting (kiri-e).

These three temples are ancient ones with deep connections to a legendary figure in Japan’s Buddhist history – Gyoki, an itinerant monk who propagated Buddhism around Japan, especially in the countryside. Born and mostly active in Nara though, he is a figure celebrated here. His statue by a fountain outside Nara Kintetsu station is a well-known meeting point. They all worship Amida Buddha (a Buddha central to the Pure Land school of Buddhism) as a principal icon, and all have beautiful flower gardens for which they are also well-known. The roses at Ryosenji will be in full bloom from early May, the hydrangeas at Gansenji from early June, and the lotus flowers at Kikoji from mid-June.

Event Details

May 1st (Wed) – July 31st (Wed)

During this period, a special paper cut Goshuin will be given at each temple for 1,000 yen and if all three temples are visited and the paper cut Goshuin from each one is presented, you can receive an original-design round fan as a gift (only available during the specified period).

More information here (Japanese only)

Ryosenji Temple

Address: 3879 Nakamachi, Nara City
Admission Fee: 600 yen for adults / 300 yen for elementary and junior high school students (when the roses are in full bloom)
Visiting Hours: 10:00-16:00 (Main Hall), 8:00-17:00 (Rose Garden)

Gansenji Temple

Address: 43 Iwafune Kaminomon, Kamo-cho, Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture
Admission Fee: 500 yen for adults / 400 yen for junior and senior high school students / 200 yen for elementary school students
Visiting Hours: 8:30-17:00 (December-February) 9:00-16:00 (March-November)

Kikoji Temple

Address: 508 Sugawara-cho, Nara City
Admission fee: 500 yen for adults / 300 yen for elementary and junior high school students
Opening hours: 9:00-16:00 (7:00-16:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays in July)