Shinto Swappers: Ema

This public swap is aimed at promoting my newly formed group: Shinto Swapping.

Ah...shameless self-promotion. =D

Onto the swap. (Warning: Mini essay to follow. If you're not interested, skip down to the bold text.)

If you're at all familiar with Shinto shrines then you've seen ema. These house-shaped, wooden plaques are sold to people to write their prayers/wishes on. These prayers are then hung on specially prepared walls provided by the shrine. The idea is that your prayer is now close to the kami (deity) of the shrine and so is easier to grant. Ema are left on the wall for a time, before being removed and burned.

That’s the basics.

In appearance, an ema is decorated on one side, and blank on the other. Which is the front is up to you. ;-)

Here’s a brief history of these interesting plaques.

Once upon a time a generous offering was made to a Shinto shrine in the form of a white horse. A real, live white horse. Offering envy was strong and suddenly everyone was doing it. Only, not everyone could afford such a sumptuous gift. Moreover, shrines weren’t equipped to stable livestock. Someone got the bright idea to offer a statue of a horse.

Problem solved? Not quite.

Soon after, the idea was further truncated to a wooden plaque with the image of a white horse painted on it. Now everyone could afford to give their local shrine a white horse. Happiness all around!

Over time, things changed (as they always do). The basic shape because more fluid, the horse went away in favor of more local livestock, or even closer to home, the kami of the shrine itself. The utility, however, remains the same to this day.

In this swap you will be making an ema for your partner. It must be AT LEAST 6 inches long, by 3 inches tall. This way it will fit into an envelope. However, the ema I have collected are as large as 9X7 so don’t feel like you have to limit yourself, just keep shipping in mind as you create. Whatever medium you work best in (for me that would be paper, for you it could be femo, quilting or woodworking) is how you will be creating. Make an ema your partner will be pleased to display.

Fine print. While it’s true this is a promotional swap, that doesn’t mean I’m not still gatekeeper. Swappers in good standing, as determined by me, will be permitted to join. If you have any questions, comments or complaints, PM me.