Confidence
| Field | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shrine name | 99% | Center calligraphy 神田神社 reads cleanly. Center red square seal in tensho confirms. The 三巴 (mitsudomoe) crest in red is Kanda Myōjin's signature. The 神田祭 (Kanda Festival) inscription places this as a festival commemorative goshuin. |
| Date | 75% | Left column reads 令和五年五月 — May 2023 — but the day is not specified, only the month. The 2023 Kanda Matsuri ran 11–17 May with the main Shinkōsai procession on 13 May, so the goshuin was almost certainly received during that week. |
| Variant identification | 95% | The mikoshi (portable shrines) illustration and the inscription 「少彦名命御奉祝百五十年記念」 (Sukunahikona 150-year Commemoration) are the documented features of the 2023 Kanda Matsuri 150-year-anniversary special goshuin. |
Identification
- Name (Japanese): 神田神社 (popularly called 神田明神 / Kanda Myōjin)
- Name (Romanized): Kanda Jinja (also Kanda Myōjin)
- Type: Shinto shrine — one of Edo-Tokyo's most important shrines
- Location: Sotokanda, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo — between Akihabara and Ochanomizu
- Variant: 2023 Kanda Matsuri 150-year commemorative goshuin (神田祭 少彦名命御奉祝百五十年記念)
- Date received: 令和五年五月 — May 2023 (likely 13–17 May during the festival)
Reading the goshuin
| Element | Reading | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 奉拝 | Hōhai — "humbly worshipped" | Top right, brush |
| 神田祭 | Kanda Matsuri — "Kanda Festival" | Right column, brush |
| 三巴 (mitsudomoe) | Triple-comma crest | Top center, red |
| 神田神社 | Kanda Jinja — shrine name | Left column, brush |
| 神田神社 (tensho) | Shrine name in seal script | Center red square seal |
| 少彦名命御奉祝百五十年記念 | "150-year commemoration of the celebration of Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto" | Left column, small brush |
| Three mikoshi illustration | Portable shrines from the festival procession | Center, decorative line drawing |
| 令和五年五月 | May 2023 | Left column, brush (no day specified) |
About 神田祭 (Kanda Matsuri)
Kanda Matsuri is one of Japan's three great festivals (alongside Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri). It is held in mid-May every two years on odd years, with the main events spread over the week including the 神幸祭 (Shinkōsai — "Divine Procession") and 神輿宮入 (Mikoshi Miyairi — "Mikoshi Shrine Entry").
The festival originated in the Edo period (early 17th century) as the city of Edo's tutelary celebration. Tokugawa shoguns viewed Kanda Festival from a special viewing stand inside Edo Castle — making it one of the 「天下祭」 (tenka-matsuri — "shogun-attended festivals"). After 1872 the procession was modified for modern use; today's version retains the historical route through 108 sub-shrine districts of central Tokyo.
The 2023 festival was particularly significant because it was the first full Kanda Matsuri in four years following pandemic suspensions of 2020 and 2021.
The 150-year anniversary
In 1874 (Meiji 7), the deity 少彦名命 (Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto) was added to Kanda Myōjin's pantheon. This had complex political reasons: when the Meiji government took power in 1868, they ordered Kanda Myōjin to remove 平将門 (Taira no Masakado) from the shrine's enshrined deities because Masakado had rebelled against the imperial throne in the 10th century. Sukunahikona was added as a replacement.
(Masakado was eventually re-added much later, in 1984, after a long civic campaign — and now all three deities including Masakado are enshrined.)
So 2023 marked the 150th anniversary of Sukunahikona's enshrinement at Kanda Myōjin, and the shrine issued this special commemorative goshuin during that year's Kanda Matsuri to mark the occasion. The goshuin's left-side small inscription "少彦名命御奉祝百五十年記念" makes the dedication explicit.
Enshrined deities
- 大己貴命 (Ōnamuchi-no-Mikoto) = 大国主命 (Ōkuninushi) — the ancient Izumo deity, principal deity since 730 CE
- 少彦名命 (Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto) — small-stature deity, partner of Ōkuninushi in nation-building, added 1874 (the deity celebrated in this goshuin)
- 平将門命 (Taira-no-Masakado-no-Mikoto) — 10th-century warrior, originally enshrined here as a vengeful spirit to be appeased; removed 1874, re-added 1984
What it's known for
- The Kanda Matsuri itself — one of Japan's three great festivals
- Akihabara protector — the shrine sits adjacent to Akihabara and has become the unofficial tutelary shrine of the otaku/tech district. Kanda Myōjin sells anime-themed ema and has collaborated with anime franchises (most famously Love Live!).
- Business prosperity — given Ōkuninushi's role as a wealth-bringing deity
- Commerce — many central Tokyo financial firms make annual visits
- Tutelary shrine of Edo's 108 districts — historically protective deity for the central city