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Jump to navigationJump to searchCreated page with "right|thumb|400px|''Ema'' hanging at [[Tsurugaoka Hachimangu|Tsurugaoka Hachimangû in Kamakura]] [[Image:Shuinsen.jpg|right|thumb|400px|A replica of an '..."
[[File:Ema.jpg|right|thumb|400px|''Ema'' hanging at [[Tsurugaoka Hachimangu|Tsurugaoka Hachimangû]] in [[Kamakura]]]]
[[Image:Shuinsen.jpg|right|thumb|400px|A replica of an ''ema'' commissioned by the [[Sueyoshi family]] for [[Kiyomizu-dera]], in order to pray for a safe ''[[shuinsen]]'' journey to [[Tonking]] in [[1633]]/11. Replica and original, collection of the [[Museum of Kyoto]].]]
*''Japanese'': 絵馬 ''(ema)''
''Ema'' (lit. "picture horse") are wooden votive plaques commonly sold at [[Shinto shrines]]; the shrinegoer typically inscribes a wish or prayer onto the plaque and hangs it up at the shrine, where it can be visible to the ''[[kami]]'' of the shrine.
Though today typically about the size of a postcard (though a centimeter or more thick), and mass-produced, ''ema'' were traditionally hand-painted, and could be quite large. ''Ema'' several meters on a side were purchased in the late 16th or early 17th century to pray for the safe journeys of [[shuinsen|merchant ships]] traveling to and from Southeast Asia.<ref>Gallery labels at Museum of Kyoto.</ref>
''Ema'' originated as paintings of horses commissioned in the place of making offerings of actual horses to the gods. For this reason, it is most traditional for ''ema'' to bear pictures of horses; however, it is also quite common today to see plaques with a variety of other images, including occasionally depicted in an anime style, albeit usually depicting something of some relevance to the shrine, e.g. images of foxes for an [[Inari]] shrine.
At most shrines, ''ema'' are hung on freestanding racks, or on the sides of a shrine building. However, at many shrines, an ''ema-dô'' ("''Ema'' Hall") houses the plaques purchased by devotees.
{{stub}}
==References==
*Timon Screech, ''Obtaining Images'', University of Hawaii Press (2012), 111-112.
<references/>
[[Category:Shinto]]
[[Image:Shuinsen.jpg|right|thumb|400px|A replica of an ''ema'' commissioned by the [[Sueyoshi family]] for [[Kiyomizu-dera]], in order to pray for a safe ''[[shuinsen]]'' journey to [[Tonking]] in [[1633]]/11. Replica and original, collection of the [[Museum of Kyoto]].]]
*''Japanese'': 絵馬 ''(ema)''
''Ema'' (lit. "picture horse") are wooden votive plaques commonly sold at [[Shinto shrines]]; the shrinegoer typically inscribes a wish or prayer onto the plaque and hangs it up at the shrine, where it can be visible to the ''[[kami]]'' of the shrine.
Though today typically about the size of a postcard (though a centimeter or more thick), and mass-produced, ''ema'' were traditionally hand-painted, and could be quite large. ''Ema'' several meters on a side were purchased in the late 16th or early 17th century to pray for the safe journeys of [[shuinsen|merchant ships]] traveling to and from Southeast Asia.<ref>Gallery labels at Museum of Kyoto.</ref>
''Ema'' originated as paintings of horses commissioned in the place of making offerings of actual horses to the gods. For this reason, it is most traditional for ''ema'' to bear pictures of horses; however, it is also quite common today to see plaques with a variety of other images, including occasionally depicted in an anime style, albeit usually depicting something of some relevance to the shrine, e.g. images of foxes for an [[Inari]] shrine.
At most shrines, ''ema'' are hung on freestanding racks, or on the sides of a shrine building. However, at many shrines, an ''ema-dô'' ("''Ema'' Hall") houses the plaques purchased by devotees.
{{stub}}
==References==
*Timon Screech, ''Obtaining Images'', University of Hawaii Press (2012), 111-112.
<references/>
[[Category:Shinto]]
