Ema, Japanese votives

If you ever go to a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine in Japan, chances are you will see these sold in a gift shop there:

These are called ema (絵馬) and are a kind of novelty item made of wood. The idea is that when you want to make a wish or prayer, you purchase one, write your message on the back, and then hang them up on the nearby rack. The local priest: obōsan (お坊さん) for Buddhism, kannushi (神主) for Shinto, will periodically burn these in a big pyre as an offering to the temple deity.

In my visit to the famous Yushima Tenmangu shrine, it was nearing entrance exam time at nearby Tokyo University, and prospective students were making their wishes known:

That’s an extreme example, but you get the idea. The ema tablet at the top was one I purchased at the East Golden Hall at Kofukuji Temple in Nara, and came as an unusual two-pack. One tablet was left behind, but the other you could take home, which I did. I still haven’t taken the time to translate what the tablet above says on the right-hand side though (left side just says “Kofukuji Temple”). I just keep forgetting. Normally you’re supposed to leave the ema tablets there, which I suspect most tourists are not aware, though there’s nothing actually wrong with taking them home either. It just misses the point.

When we went to Todaiji next, after Kofukuji, I purchased another ema there at the hall of the Great Buddha, and left a prayer for my wife (“Baby” helped write the message a little bit).

That’s a brief look at ema tablets. If you go to Japan, check out the various styles and artwork you see at different temples, and if you feel inspired, leave a prayer for loved ones.

P.S. A smaller post I felt like writing off-schedule.