Ema (Shinto)

Wood plaque deposited in a Japanese temple to ask for a wish

Ema (絵馬, lit. 'picture-horse') are small wooden plaques, common to Japan, in which Shinto and Buddhist worshippers write prayers or wishes. Ema are left hanging up at the shrine, where the kami (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.

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