are small
wood
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
en plaques, common to Japan, in which
Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
and
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
worshippers write prayers or wishes. are left hanging up at the
shrine
A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...
, where the (spirits or gods) are believed to receive them.
This is particularly evident at shrines such as at the
Ikoma Shrine, where ''ema'' more often than usual indicate great despair or tragedy in one's life and show a heavy dependence on divine intervention. However, ''ema'' have been hung up for many other purposes, such as advertisements for certain Kabuki groups at shrines such as
Naritasan Shinshôji in the
Chiba prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...
. Typically wide and tall, they often carry images or are shaped like animals, or symbols from the
zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
, Shinto, or the particular shrine or temple.
In ancient times, people would donate
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
s to the shrines for good favor; over time this was transferred to a wooden plaque with a picture of a horse, and later still to the various wooden plaques sold today for the same purpose.
Once inscribed with a wish, are hung at the shrine
until they are ritually burned at special events, symbolic of the liberation of the wish from the writer.
''Ema'' can be hung up either for one's personal benefit, or the benefit of another. There is no specified format for creating ''ema''. Typically, one side has the wishes inscribed in text, and the other is left for imagery should it be desired.
History

In some early Shinto and folk traditions of Japan, horses were seen as carrying messages from the , and were usually used to transmit requests during droughts or famines.
Horses were extremely expensive, and figures made of clay or wood have been found dating to the
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...
.
The earliest text record of a substitution is from the from 1013, in which an offering of three paper horses is made at the Kitano Tenjin shrine.
During the
Kamakura period
The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
, the practice entered into Buddhist practice, as evidenced in painted scrolls of at Buddhist temples.
The depictions of objects aside from horses can be traced to either the
Muromachi
The , also known as the , is a division of History of Japan, Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially establ ...
or
Tokugawa periods, beginning with larger sized (named , literally 'large ') but also representing new forms, such as ships. Artists of this period, such as
Hokusai
, known mononymously as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. His woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock print series ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'' includes the iconic print ''The Gr ...
, began to create in distinct styles, and creating the objects became a professionalized craft.
Today, they are mostly produced at or by the shrine or temple in which they are found.
Some shrines have faced criticism for profiting from the sale of . In 1979, two shrines dedicated to education sold for examination success, transforming the funds into a scholarship in 1980 after public outcry.
Following a rise in popularity of
pop-culture tourism in Japan, or more specifically , several
otaku started a practice of hanging
(same first kanji as in ''
itasha'') featuring drawings of characters from popular manga and video game series.
Oftentimes these are placed at shrines closely tied to a particular series either by set location or an official collaboration. Another hotspot for ''ita-ema'' is
Kanda Shrine, due both to its proximity to
Akihabara and its relationship with the
Love Live! franchise. Some series rights-holders and collaborating shrines began selling branded ''ita-ema'' as official
merchandise
Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...
.
Symbols

Historically, groups of farmers or small merchants could organize to hire a local artisan to create an to be donated to a shrine for a specific purpose, such as a good harvest.
Archeological records suggest this could have been used to send political signals, as in the case of a
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...
shrine that saw an increase in commissioned portraits depicting peaceful relations with Korea amidst tensions between the nations during the late 19th century.
can represent deities, such as
Kannon and
Jizō, but also more specific iconography depending on their intended purpose. These include depictions of a phallus or breasts for fertility prayers, or an octopus representing the desire to be cured of warts.
Another example are sandals depicted on plaques for foot remedies.
Another form of wish is for "tie-cutting";
whereas a man and woman standing beside a palm tree is interpreted as a wish for a long relationship, another plaque depicts nettles between the couple, wishing for divorce.
Common symbolism also includes nettles placed beside an object one wishes to sever ties with. During wartime, depicting the same man, one in military uniform and one in civilian clothing, suggested a desire for a soldier to sever from his civilian life.
For some, the same image may have been used to express a wish to avoid military service altogether.
Another form of ''ema'' found particularly in the northeastern region of Japan, such as the Yamagata Prefecture, is the mukasari (ムカサリ) ''ema.'' Mukasari means "marriage" in the Yamagata dialect. This form of ''ema'' is typically in a larger format than other kinds and symbolizes marriage, typically after one of the parties has died. For example, there is one hanging in the Wakamatsu Kannon temple in Tendō City where a mother depicted her two sons who died in World War II with their brides in ceremonial dress.
The use of text has gradually replaced the overt use of symbolism in contemporary .
The rise of literacy has encouraged guests to write their own messages, which has dramatically decreased the use of distinct as a way to transmit a specific wish.
Function
As a ritual, the is a means to communicate wishes to both priests and the . The public nature of the , which are displayed at shrines before their ritual burning, also serves a social function for communicating to the community that an individual has made the wish. Burning the wishes helps to "symbolically liberate" the spirit of the wish into the world. In some cases, however, wishes are taken from the shrine to be hung at home, though still ritually burned in special ceremonies.
See also
*
Glossary of Shinto
This is the glossary of Shinto, including major terms on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk (*) are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries.
__NOTOC__
A
* – A red papier-mâché cow bobblehead toy; a kind of ''engimono ...
, for an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Shinto, Shinto art, and Shinto shrine architecture.
*
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Buddhism in Japan
Prayer
Shinto
Shinto religious objects
Wood products