Ema

These small wooden plaques can be found in shrines across Japan. People use them to pray it wish for love, wealth, long life, or academic success. In the last few years they have also included prayers to ask for protection from COVID!

Bought pre-decorated or purchased blank and embellished with hand-drawn images, you write your message on the reverse.

They are inspected by a senior priest at the temple or shrine who prays for them to be granted. Later the ema are usually burned at intervals in rituals called ema kuyo, The burning releases the message or prayer to the realm of the Kami. (Japan’s spirits and gods).

When their prayer is answered, some people leave another ema in thanks,