Confidence
| Field | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shrine name | 99% | Center calligraphy 東郷神社 reads cleanly. Center red square seal in tensho confirms 東郷神社. The 抱き茗荷 (daki-myōga) family crest at top in dark blue is the Tōgō family crest — uniquely diagnostic. The Hello Kitty bow with anchor in the top-right is the documented signature stamp added when receiving a goshuin via the Sanrio collaboration goshuincho. |
| Date | 97% | Left column reads 令和五年五月二十七日 = 27 May 2023. Same Tokyo day as Meiji Jingū (Book 1). |
Identification
- Name (Japanese): 東郷神社 (formal: 原宿東郷神社)
- Name (Romanized): Tōgō Jinja (often called Harajuku Tōgō Jinja)
- Type: Shinto shrine
- Location: Harajuku, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo — directly behind Meiji Jingū-mae station
- Date received: 令和五年五月二十七日 = 27 May 2023
Reading the goshuin
| Element | Reading | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 抱き茗荷紋 (daki-myōga) | Tōgō family crest — myōga (Japanese ginger) leaves | Top center, dark blue/purple |
| Hello Kitty bow with anchor | Sanrio collaboration ribbon with naval anchor — given to anyone using the Hello Kitty goshuincho | Top right, red |
| 奉拝 | Hōhai — "humbly worshipped" | Top right, brush |
| 東郷神社 | Tōgō Jinja — shrine name | Center, large brush |
| Tensho seal | Shrine name in seal script | Center red square seal |
| 令和五年五月二十七日 | 27 May 2023 | Left column, brush |
About the shrine
東郷神社 is dedicated to Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō (東郷平八郎, 1848–1934) — the naval commander who led the Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet to its decisive victory over the Russian Baltic Fleet at the Battle of Tsushima (28 May 1905) during the Russo-Japanese War. Tōgō is one of the most revered military figures in modern Japanese history; his victory was the first defeat of a major European power by an Asian nation in modern naval warfare and is studied as a masterclass in fleet maneuver.
The shrine was founded in 1940 to enshrine Tōgō after his death in 1934, on land in Harajuku that had been donated by the imperial family. The original buildings were destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945 and rebuilt in 1964.
Enshrined deity
- 東郷平八郎命 (Tōgō Heihachirō-no-Mikoto) — the deified admiral
What it's known for / the blessing
The shrine is associated with:
- 勝運 (shō-un) — victory, winning fortune (Tōgō's signature blessing — the small red 勝 stamp on the alternative version of this goshuin makes this explicit)
- 至誠 (shisei) — utmost sincerity (Tōgō's personal motto, displayed throughout the shrine)
- 海上安全 (kaijō anzen) — safety at sea (given Tōgō's naval association)
- 必勝祈願 (hisshō kigan) — prayers for certain victory; popular among athletes, students before exams, and businesspeople before important deals
Hello Kitty collaboration
東郷神社 was the first shrine in Japan to release an official Hello Kitty collaboration goshuincho, around 2019. The goshuincho cover (which is this very book) shows Hello Kitty in jūni-hitoe (twelve-layered Heian court robes), holding a fan, with a flower in her hair. The shrine adds a special Hello Kitty bow stamp with a tiny anchor (the anchor referencing Tōgō's naval career) to anyone receiving a goshuin in this book — that's the small red bow visible at the top-right of this scan.
The collaboration is now widely imitated across Japanese shrines, but Tōgō Jinja was the originator. This makes the goshuin in this book specifically tied to this shrine — the Hello Kitty + anchor bow is added to the standard goshuin design only when received in an official Tōgō Jinja Sanrio book.