Vintage Japanese Ema Votive Plaque – Hand-Painted Wooden Shrine Offering Wishes & Blessings 5" Vase and light shrinkage to wood

and light shrinkage to wood consistent with display and age

such as misogi

clear tone response

sophisticated reference to the tradition of textile-within-textile representation in Japanese decorative arts

5" H × 10

Vintage Japanese Ema Votive Plaque – Hand-Painted Wooden Shrine Offering Wishes & Blessings 5" Vase and light shrinkage to woodJapanese Ema Votive PlaqueJapan, mid 20th century to contemporaryDimensions: 5. 25" x 3. 5" This hand painted Ema () is a traditional wooden votive plaque used at Shint shrines and Buddhist temples throughout Japan. Visitors purchase these small tablets, write their wishes or prayers upon them, and hang them at the shrine, where they are believed to be received by the kami (deities) or Buddhist figures enshrined there. The practice dates back to the