Introduction

The temple stamp book (nokyocho) is an important aspect of a pilgrim’s journey in Japan as it easily records the numerous spiritual sites visited by the individual, and hopefully provides a sense of nostalgia once the sacred journey has come to an end. The temple stamp book, found in Buddhist Japanese culture, provides an interesting and tangible piece of religious consumerism because it actually serves a necessary purpose; a marker of one’s spiritual endeavors. The temple sites at which a pilgrim has worshiped is authenticated for others and for one’s self, by the stamps given by the appointed employee of the temple site. This spiritual passport, if you will, reminds the pilgrim of where they are and where they are going and that they are on an actual trek that continues in a forward direction.

Explaining Nokyocho

Nokyocho is the Japanese word for a Temple Stamps Book, the item that we were in charge of creating for our North Country pilgrimage. These books are used by those who make a Japanese pilgrimage to record where they have visited along the temple route. Nokyocho act as a sacred passport for those making a pilgrimage, as pilgrims receive a stamp specific to the temple site they are visiting, and act as a souvenir pilgrims can look back on after their pilgrimage is over to remember the places they visited. An article by Michael Pye titled "The Way is the Goal: Buddhist Circulatory Pilgrimage in Japan with Special References to Selected Artefacts" discusses how the stamps that pilgrims receive in their stamp book can be thought of as a kind of receipt as well (174). As the word nokyo, a root of nokyocho, means "donating a sutra", pilgrims pay a donation to the temple to have calligraphy of Japanese aphorisms written into their stamp book over the temple's stamp. In the stamp books of modern pilgrimage, it is common for the stamps of temples to be pre-printed into books (Pye 174). Stamp books typically are accordion fold, are stamped in red ink with wooden handle stamps, and include calligraphy writing in black ink.

Who We Are

The five individuals who created the temple stamp book for our class are referred to as the Nokyocho Group. We have been responsible for the design and construction of the stamp book in order to provide them for the class, who will all receive stamps after visiting St. Lawrence University’s newly constructed spiritual site, Kitaguni teien, also referred to as the North Country Japanese Garden. In creating this stamp book, we looked to what we feel are important elements of the North Country to combine the influences of the North Country with the traditional elements of Japanese nokyocho. 

What Materials Were Used

The variety of materials used to create the thirty temple stamp books were few, but of the best quality, chose to thoughtfully and aesthetically adorn the book. The paper used to create the pages of the book was Japanese machine made paper, while the outside cover were made from a variety of handmade papers, including Japanese paper and paper handmade by a local North Country artist and dyed using vegetable dyes. Stamps used in the book were either metal stamps printed using the printing press, wooden handle rubber stamps, or rubber stamps carved by members of the Nokyocho group. Stencils were handmade by members of the groups as well. Quotes reflecting the essence of pilgrimage and North Country life were chose to be included in the book as well, printed using the printing press. 

Printing pressed used to print quotes and images in stamp book.

Our Inspiration

The inspiration for the images, writings, and overall design of the temple stamp book comes from our knowledge of Japanese Buddhist pilgrimage, nokyocho design and culture, and from our own experiences in the North Country. The landscape, animal life, and other unique sights found in the region were recalled heavily throughout the book making process. We strove to create a stamp book that reflected the spirit of the North Country, the place our pilgrimage is center upon, and Japanese pilgrimage, the pilgrimage that inspired this book. For this reason, we called our temple stamp book NoKo, drawing upon the Japanese name for the item and the nickname of the place the book's pilgrimage is set. 

The Temple Stamp Book Making Process

The initial steps of the temple stamp book making process revolved around the attainment of book making and temple stamps book knowledge in general, and deciding what the group wished to create and share with the rest of the class. We first had to decide on the kind of paper we wanted to use to make the book pages, the size of each individual page, and how many pages we wanted to include in the book.  We then began by collecting images and quotes we wanted to include in our book, compiling a journal to keep track of our plans and progress. 

How Our Stamp Books Will Be Used