![]() ![]() Photograph by Engelhorn, laif / ReduxĮma-giving remains central to Japanese culture. These days, ema are decorated in a myriad of ways and carry prayers for concerns such as passing exam scores and successful pregnancies. Right: Ema translates to “horse pictures” because early versions depicted the animals that were once sacrificed to the gods. ” If their petition is answered, some people leave another ema in thanks, she adds. “The burning allegedly releases the message or prayer or request to be further acted upon in the realm of the Kami. “Most ema are usually burned at intervals in shrine or temple rituals called ema kuyō, ” says Robertson. These requests are inspected by a senior priest at the temple or shrine who prays for them to be granted. ( The popular ‘waving lucky cat’ has a fascinating history.) They can be bought pre-decorated or purchased blank and embellished by hand-drawn images, before the worshipper writes their message on the unadorned side. They dangle from purpose-made racks, some of which hold thousands of ema. Nowadays, these plaques variously highlight creatures, flowers, geishas, hearts, trees, and waterfalls. The earliest versions of ema in the eighth century depicted horses, representing the live animals once sacrificed to deities and deceased leaders during Shinto ceremonies, says Robertson. Nara’s Kasuga Taisha shrine even sells anti-coronavirus ema decorated by cartoon characters. Many ema are now adorned by messages about the pandemic, or by images of Amabie, a supernatural being that wards off plagues in Japanese folklore. In the past two years, a fresh ema plea has emerged: protection from COVID-19. “Pray for a happy and healthy baby to arrive in our family soon,” write Andy and Suri on an ema at Osaka’s Hozenji Temple, which pays homage to Fudo Myoo, one of Japan’s five guardians of Buddhism.įor more than a millennium, Japanese people have used these plaques to ask the gods for love, wealth, long life, or academic success. Marry me,” reads one plaque signed by TXQ, addressed to “Mr Right” and left at Kyoto’s Jishu Jinja shrine, which is dedicated to Okuninushi-no-mikoto, the Japanese god of matchmaking. Written on wooden plaques, called ema, these wishes float to the heavens. On New Year’s Day especially, prayers pile up at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples throughout Japan. ![]()
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