Enoshima by PaulSh54

Votive plaques (<i>ema</i>) in front of a sacred tree at the upper shrine. ...................................................................................... The word <i>ema</i> literally means &quot;picture-horse&quot;. Horses were seen as divine messengers, so when making an important request to a god, this would be done by giving a horse to the god's shrine. Horses were expensive, though, so by the 8th century they could be replaced by models of a horse, and later even paper horses could be substituted for real ones. These days, small wooden plaques which you buy at the shrine are used. The shapes may vary, but in most places they are a simple five-sided &quot;house&quot; shape.