Confidence
| Field | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shrine name | 97% | Center calligraphy clearly reads 今戸神社; the maneki-neko illustration with caption 招き猫発祥の地 ("birthplace of the maneki-neko") is Imado Jinja's signature. The bottom-left seal is the shrine's official seal. This is the same shrine whose goshuincho cover this book uses. |
| Date | 78% | The left date column reads 令和五年 五月二十五日 = 25 May 2023; the day is partly cropped/cut off but the visible strokes are consistent with 二十五. Could be 二十三 or 二十四 if the photo angle hides a stroke, but 25 May 2023 is the most likely reading. |
Identification
- Name (Japanese): 今戸神社
- Name (Romanized): Imado Jinja
- Type: Shinto shrine (jinja)
- Location: Imado, Taitō Ward, Tokyo (just north of Asakusa)
- Date received: 令和五年五月二十五日 ≈ 25 May 2023 (day reading uncertain)
Reading the goshuin
| Element | Reading | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 奉拝 | Hōhai — "humbly worshipped" | Top right, brush |
| 今戸神社 | Imado Jinja — shrine name | Center, large brush |
| Tensho seal of 今戸神社 | Imado Jinja seal | Center, red square seal |
| Rabbit + 大吉 + 令和五年 | Year-of-the-Rabbit limited stamp ("Great Fortune, Reiwa 5"); 2023 was the Year of the Rabbit (癸卯 / Mizunoto-u) | Top left, red |
| Two maneki-neko + 招き猫発祥の地 | "Birthplace of the maneki-neko" — pair of beckoning cats | Bottom right |
| Fukurokuju figure + 今戸神社 seal | Asakusa Shichifukujin Fukurokuju seal | Bottom left, red |
| 五月二十五日 | 25 May (left column) | Left, brush |
This goshuin is dense with secondary stamps because Imado Jinja layers multiple commemorative motifs on its standard goshuin: the zodiac year stamp, the maneki-neko origin claim, and the Asakusa Seven Lucky Gods (Asakusa Shichifukujin) Fukurokuju association.
About the shrine
Imado Jinja was founded in 1063 by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and his son Yoshiie, who prayed for victory at Iwashimizu Hachimangū and built this shrine on their return from a successful campaign in Tōhoku. Originally called 今戸八幡 (Imado Hachiman) because it was a Hachiman shrine, it was later merged with another local shrine (白山神社) in 1937 and renamed Imado Jinja.
The shrine is famous for two largely separate things that both bring crowds:
1. Birthplace of the maneki-neko (招き猫発祥の地)
There are several competing claims for the maneki-neko's origin (Gōtoku-ji in Setagaya is the most prominent rival), but Imado's claim runs as follows: in the late Edo period, an elderly woman in Imado was forced by poverty to abandon her beloved cat. That night the cat appeared in her dream and instructed her to make a clay figurine in its likeness. She did, sold the figurines at Asakusa Sensō-ji's gate, they became wildly popular, and the maneki-neko was born — Imado is in fact a historic ceramics-producing district (今戸焼 / Imado-yaki), so the technical capability and the iconography line up.
2. Enmusubi (matchmaking) shrine
Imado Jinja's primary kami are Izanagi (伊邪那岐) and Izanami (伊邪那美) — the original couple in Japanese mythology who together created the Japanese islands and gave birth to the kami. As the archetypal married pair, they make Imado a popular shrine for enmusubi (縁結び — finding good relationships) and matchmaking, especially for people seeking marriage. The shrine sells paired-cat ema (votive plaques) and stocks small white maneki-neko statues with red collars.
Why this book has Imado on the cover
The goshuincho itself was purchased here. Imado Jinja's books are designed by Tomoe Ichino, a Shinto priest and illustrator at the shrine, and feature the same paired-cat motif on the front (in colors including navy, pink, and orange) with Fukurokuju on the back — exactly matching the front and back covers of this book.
Enshrined deities
- 応神天皇 (Emperor Ōjin / Hachiman) — the legendary 15th emperor, originally enshrined as Imado Hachiman.
- 伊邪那岐神 (Izanagi-no-kami) and 伊邪那美神 (Izanami-no-kami) — the creator couple of Japanese mythology; the basis for the matchmaking blessings.
- 福禄寿 (Fukurokuju) — one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Asakusa Shichifukujin circuit); appears on the goshuincho's back cover.
What it's known for / the blessing
- 縁結び (enmusubi) — finding a marriage partner or good relationships generally
- 招福 (shōfuku) — invitation of good fortune (the maneki-neko's core meaning)
- Asakusa Shichifukujin pilgrimage — Imado is the Fukurokuju station, associated with longevity and wisdom
Note on the rabbit stamp
The small red rabbit stamp at the top-left ("大吉 / 令和五年" with a rabbit figure) is a 2023 zodiac-year limited stamp. 2023 was the Year of the Rabbit (癸卯) in the Chinese/Japanese zodiac, and many shrines added rabbit motifs to their goshuin that year. This stamp dates the goshuin to 2023 even before reading the date column.