Ema (votive plaque), unknown maker from Japan

Exhibition Label:
"Nature/Natural," Jan-2014, Kris Ercums
Ema 絵馬, literally “horse pictures,” are votive paintings commonly found at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples throughout Japan. Over the centuries, devotees have donated wooden plaques, each painted with a picture and a prayer, to shrines and temples they visit. Ema grew out of an ancient Shinto tradition of offering horses to shrines to propitiate the deities. By the 12th century, painted ema replaced live animal donations, and the pictorial repertory of these votive plaques expanded to include a variety of subjects. Large votive paintings, such as the Spencer’s ema, were typically hung indoors or under the exterior eaves of separate votive-painting halls (emadō 絵馬堂) within the shrine or temple compound.

This ema depicts the kabuki actor Bando Hikosaburo III (1754–1828), identifiable from the crest of a crane in the circle on his clothing. Here, the actor is in the role of Kobayashi Asahina (also called Asahina Yoshihide, 1176¬¬–?), a 12th-century warrior known for great strength and valor. Behind him are a large container of Japanese rice wine (sake) and a sake cup shaped like a dish. Sake, long regarded as a precious commodity, was offered to Shinto deities and consumed by the elite.

Archive Label date unknown:
Votive paintings known as ema are a familiar sight at Shinto shrines throughout Japan. Over the centuries, presenting a wooden plaque with a picture and a prayer has become the customary way of commemorating a pilgrimage to a shrine. Ema (literally ‘picture horse’) grew out of an ancient Shinto tradition of presenting horses to shrines to propitiate the deities. By the twelfth century, paintings were substituted for live animals, and the pictorial repertory of these votive plaques expanded to include a variety of subjects. Whether or not woodblock print artists were directly involved in the creation of ema is not clear, but connections between these two genres are not uncommon. This is apparent from this work of unknown provenance depicting the kabuki actor Bando Hikosaburo I (fl. 1729-49), kneeling before a large container of Japanese rice wine (sake).