Short answer: start on page one
You will read a great deal about keeping the first page for Ise Jingu, or about never using page one at all. No rule anywhere requires this, and Ise Jingu does not ask for it.
Trace it back and what you find is a personal preference for opening with a head shrine or head temple, repeated until it sounded like doctrine. As a preference it is perfectly coherent. As an obligation it does not exist.
What does happen, often, is that the reserved page stays empty for years and the book reaches its last leaf with one white gap at the front. If you are unsure, use it.
If you would still rather keep it free
Wanting to open with a particular place is a natural impulse. Two small precautions stop it turning into a regret.
- Reserve one face, not a spread. Leave two facing pages empty and the entries behind them sit against an awkward gap
- Give yourself a deadline. Decide that if the visit has not happened within a year you will simply use the page, and it will not stay white by default
If you already have a book with an unfilled gap at the front, have your next goshuin written there. Entries arriving out of order is not something to worry about.
Does the inside cover count?
In a concertina book the paper runs on into the inside of the cover. That surface is normally left alone.
| Surface | Use it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Inside front cover | No | Pasted to the board; not intended as a writing surface |
| First text page | Start here | This is page one in practice |
| Last text page | Yes | It abuts the back board but is a writing surface |
| Inside back cover | No | Same reason as the front |
Some books arrive with the first page already printed, often with the word hohai or the name of the place that sold it. Where that is so, the page is the intended opening and you start on the next one.
Does the order matter?
Wanting the book to run in the order you visited is understandable. It is healthier to expect that it mostly will not.
- A loose sheet is mounted wherever you decide to mount it
- On busy days only sheets are offered, and mounting them later reshuffles the sequence
- The person writing may simply take the next free page they find
A broken sequence takes nothing away from the book. If it bothers you, pencil the date in the corner of the page and the chronology is recoverable later. Keep it clear of the brushwork.
Which page to mount a loose sheet on is covered in mounting a kakioki sheet.
Should you write your name on it?
Writing your name on the daisen, the white slip on the cover, prevents mix-ups and books left behind. It earns its keep the moment several identical books are lined up on one counter.
Some people also write an address inside the back cover, which improves the odds of a lost book finding its way home. If that does not trouble you, it works. Forgot it, got it wet, skipped a page covers losing one.
Read next
Practice around goshuin and the books that hold them differs between shrines, temples and Buddhist schools. What follows is general orientation, not a rule. Notices posted on site and the guidance of the office there always take precedence. Nichiren-shu temples inscribe a goshuimon, and some will not write it into a book that already holds entries from elsewhere.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I leave the first page of my goshuin book blank?
No need. The idea of reserving it for Ise Jingu circulates widely, but Ise Jingu does not ask for it and no rule requires it. Reserved pages more often stay empty for years, so if you are unsure, use it.
Do entries start on the inside of the cover?
The inside cover is pasted to the board and is not meant as a writing surface, so it is left alone. The first text page is page one in practice.
Is it a problem if the entries are not in visiting order?
Not at all. Mounting loose sheets later, or being offered only sheets on a busy day, reshuffles the order as a matter of course. If it bothers you, pencil the date in the corner of each page and the chronology stays recoverable.
I already left the first page empty. What now?
Have your next goshuin written there. Entries arriving out of order is nothing to worry about, and a filled page reads better than a white gap at the front of a finished book.
Should I write my name in the book?
Writing it on the daisen slip on the cover prevents mix-ups where several similar books sit on one counter. Some people add contact details inside the back cover, which improves the chances of a lost book coming back.