Ema: The Wooden Plaques Carrying Wishes to the Gods

Walk into any Shinto shrine in Japan, and you are bound to see them: hundreds, sometimes thousands, of small wooden plaques hanging together, adorned with pictures and covered in handwritten wishes. These are 'Ema' (絵馬), a beautiful and deeply personal way for worshippers to communicate their hopes and dreams directly to the kami. The name literally means 'picture-horse', a clue to the tradition's ancient and fascinating origins.

From Living Horses to Wooden Plaques

In ancient Japan, horses were considered sacred animals, the divine mounts of the kami. In times of great need, such as praying for rain during a drought or for it to stop during floods, the wealthy and powerful would donate a live horse to a shrine as a supreme offering. A black horse was offered to ask for rain (symbolizing dark rain clouds), and a white horse was offered to pray for the rain to cease (symbolizing the sun). This was, however, an incredibly expensive practice beyond the means of ordinary people.

Over time, this tradition evolved. First, people began offering horse statues made of wood, clay, or metal. Eventually, this was simplified further into the practice of offering a wooden plaque with a picture of a horse painted on it. This made the act of offering accessible to everyone and established the basic form of the ema we see today. During the Muromachi period, the practice expanded beyond horses, and shrines began to offer ema with pictures related to their specific kami or blessings—such as a fox for Inari shrines or an ox for Tenmangu shrines.

How to Offer an Ema

Offering an ema is a simple and meaningful ritual. First, you purchase a blank plaque from the shrine's office ('shamusho'). These days, they come in countless designs, from the traditional zodiac animal of the year to modern designs featuring anime characters at shrines in places like Akihabara. Find a space to write your wish. On the blank side of the plaque, you write your prayer, your name (or initials, for privacy), and the date. There are no strict rules for what to write; it should be a sincere expression of your heart's desire. Common wishes are for health, success in exams, a happy relationship, or safety for one's family.

Once you have finished writing, you take the ema to the designated rack, called an 'ema-kake', and hang it up with the other plaques. The act of hanging the ema is the symbolic offering of your wish to the kami. It is believed that the kami will read the wishes written on the plaques and, if they are sincere, help to bring them to fruition. You are leaving your prayer in the care of the shrine and its deity.

"Each ema is a silent prayer, a whispered hope left in the hands of the divine, joining a chorus of a thousand other dreams."

In our modern world, the desire to express our wishes and feel a connection to something greater remains unchanged. The tradition of ema is a beautiful testament to this human need. Our Kami Shrine offers a new way to participate in this ancient practice. By sending your wish through our platform, you are creating a modern, digital ema—a focused prayer sent to the kami, joining a global community of patrons who are bridging the gap between ancient traditions and contemporary life.