{"product_id":"a-hand-painted-ko-ema-vestigial-horse-image","title":"A Hand Painted Ko Ema: Vestigial Horse Image","description":"\u003cp\u003eearly to mid twentieth century\u003cbr\u003eimage size: 5\" x 6 1\/2\", 12.5 cm x 16.5 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an\u003ci\u003e ema. \u003c\/i\u003e An \u003ci\u003eema\u003c\/i\u003e is a votive tablet offered by an individual to a Shinto temple either in petition for a favor or in thanks for a favor received.  Some \u003ci\u003eema\u003c\/i\u003e can be very large and hand painted.  They can depict battle scenes, sailing ships or other elaborate images.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKo ema, \u003c\/i\u003esuch as this one\u003ci\u003e,\u003c\/i\u003e are small votives which are to be bought by visitors at a shrine. Anyone who has been to a Shinto shrine in Japan has seen racks outside the shrine which are crowded with hundreds of \u003cem\u003eema--\u003c\/em\u003e however the new ema are not hand painted as this one is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was said that there were itinerant makers of \u003cem\u003eema\u003c\/em\u003e that would position themselves outside shrines, hand painting them and selling them to the visitors of the shrine. If true, this was likely done in collaboration with the shrine as \u003cem\u003eema\u003c\/em\u003e are a source of revenue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe very faded, almost-barely perceptible and beautifully colored image on this \u003cem\u003eko ema\u003c\/em\u003e is that of an elegant horse that is dressed in equally elegant festival finery. There was a tradition of offering a Shinto shrine the gift of an actual horse, but as that was an unrealistic type of donation for most people, \u003cem\u003eema\u003c\/em\u003e were painted with the image of horses in order to satisfy this desire to give a horse to a designated shrine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA delightful object with a delicately rendered and beautiful image, this is certainly a \u003cem\u003eko ema\u003c\/em\u003e to consider owning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exhibition provenance of this piece should be noted. It was included in the show, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thedouglashyde.ie\/exhibition\/ema-gallery-2\/\"\u003e\"Ema: Votive Plaques from Japan\" at The Douglas Hyde Gallery\u003c\/a\u003e, Dublin, in 2013.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVery recommended.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sri","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45640286666938,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0070\/9422\/files\/Votive434.jpg?v=1771868318","url":"https:\/\/www.srithreads.com\/products\/a-hand-painted-ko-ema-vestigial-horse-image","provider":"Sri","version":"1.0","type":"link"}