Key Facts
• People often write wishes on ema and offer them at shrines during New Year’s visits.
• The character “horse” in ema originates from horses being sacred vehicles of gods.
• Historically, live horses called “shinme” were offered to gods for wishes.
• Preparing live horses for each wish was difficult, leading to wooden horse statues as substitutes.
• Later, wooden plaques with horse paintings replaced statues for easier offerings.
• Over time, ema designs expanded beyond horses to include deities and local features.
• At Shirakawa Tenmangu Shrine in Matsue City, the deity Sugawara no Michizane is worshiped as the god of learning.
• The shrine distributes ema specifically for academic success, as well as for general prayers and baby blessings.
Summary
Ema, the wooden plaques offered at shrines with written wishes, include the character “horse” because horses were traditionally regarded as sacred vehicles of gods. In the past, live horses called “shinme” were presented to deities to convey prayers. Due to the difficulty of offering live horses repeatedly, wooden horse statues were used, which eventually evolved into painted wooden plaques. These plaques, known as ema, now feature various designs reflecting the shrine’s deity or local culture. For example, Shirakawa Tenmangu Shrine in Matsue City, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane-the god of learning-offers ema mainly for academic success, along with others for general prayers and baby blessings. This tradition connects worshippers’ wishes with the divine through the symbolic “divine horse.”
