The Anime Network

Abstract Seichi junrei 聖地巡礼—a series of pilgrimages to sites featured in popular media—has received increasing attention from scholars and the public alike for the past few years. While scholarship on the topic is slowly growing, discussions on the material impact of these journeys remain limited. This article examines the seichi junrei phenomenon through a variety of material objects such as ema and notebooks left at pilgrimage sites, focusing on Kamado Shrine (Kamado Jinja 竈門神社) and the city of Takayama. Engaging with these objects reveals a complicated network of agents that participate, maintain, and support this practice. By using ethnographic sketches and the concept of focal objects, I argue that material objects in anime pilgrimages serve as a focal point to understand how networks of human and non-human actors, organizations, institutions, and ideas operate. Examining such elements will provide an insight into the layered meanings behind these pilgrimages.