Vintage Japanese Ema Votive Plaque Hand-Painted Wooden Shrine Offering Wishes & Blessings 5"

Japanese Ema Votive Plaque – Hand-Painted Wooden Shrine Offering Tablet for Wishes & Blessings
Japan, mid-20th century to contemporary - Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto
Dimensions: 5" x 5"

This hand-painted Ema (絵馬) is a traditional wooden votive plaque used at Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples across Japan. Worshippers inscribe their prayers or wishes upon these small tablets and hang them at the shrine, where the messages are believed to be received by the kami (deities) or Buddhist figures enshrined there.

The custom dates back to the Heian period (794–1185), when horses were once offered to the gods as acts of devotion; in later centuries, painted wooden representations—Ema, or “picture horses”—took their place. Over time, the imagery expanded to include zodiac animals, sacred symbols, and regional deities, each design expressing the identity and blessings of a particular temple.

This plaque captures that enduring fusion of art, faith, and folk tradition, its vibrant hand-painted surface embodying centuries of Japanese spiritual craftsmanship. Equally at home displayed as a devotional object or cultural artwork, it carries the warmth and sincerity of countless prayers offered before it.