Ema

views updated Jun 11 2018

Ema (Jap.). Pictorial votive offerings. Koema (small ema) is a small flat wooden plaque, which may be rectangular, square, or pentagonal in shape, with a picture painted on its front surface. Ōema (large ema), which appeared after the 15th cent. is a work of art in many cases, painted by famous painters at the request of their rich patrons. Both koema and ōema are offered to the kami of a shrine or to the deity of a temple for making wishes and for the fulfilment of the wishes.

The word ema (picture + horse) suggests its origin as a substitute for a live horse.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions JOHN BOWKER

EMA

views updated May 14 2018

EMA effective medium approximation
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The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH