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Set of 3 Japanese Prayer Board Ema Metal Etching Mice

IMPORTANT NOTES

Please know that items purchased from us will be shipped direct from California. Your item will arrive much sooner and the shipping cost will be far less than items being shipped direct from Japan. Take advantage of our combined shipping to save even more!

DETAILS OF ITEM

The smallest piece measures 3.14" x 5.5" and the single mouse design piece measures 3.65" x 6" and the last piece measures 3.25" x 5.75".

Ema, which means a picture of a horse in Japanese, was originally that, a wooden board with a painted picture of a horse. People wrote their wishes and prayers on the Ema and presented it to the shrine or the temple. Although in the beginning people presented actual horses when they made a wish, over the years people came to present pictures of horses instead. Today, Ema with other motifs are often used to make wishes as well.

This set of three Ema pieces are metal etchings featuring mice. Mice are considered lucky in Japan due to their ability to multiply and that is why they are always associated with gold coins and rice like these pieces with the prayer for abundance.

The piece with a mouse holding a gold coin in its mouth originated from Shirahige Shinto shrine in Shiga prefecture. The main deity is Sarutahiko-no-Mikoto and known to answer for the prayer for longevity. The age is from the 1970's.

The Ema with a mouse with a big rice bail originated from Ise Shinto shrine in Mie Prefecture of Japan. The branded writing in the back of the piece reads that this Ema was made from using the remnant wood used to construct the shrine.

Ise Shinto Shrine has a very unusual custom in which a new building of exactly the same form is reconstructed once every twenty years and rededicated to the main deities. This custom is called the Shikinen Sengu (reconstruction ceremony). This ancient custom of Ise Shrine has been practiced for the last 1300 years. The last Shikinen Sengu was conducted in 1993 and it will not be due until the year 2013. The age is from the 1980's.

The Ema with the image of a pair of mice originated from Kanda Shinto shrine in Tokyo. The literal translation of Kanda means "the rice field for the Gods." This area was originally owned by Ise Shinto shrine to grow rice for the Ise Shinto shrine. A shrine was built to appease the Gods of the rice field originally. The age of this piece is from the 1970's.

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A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES:

If you have any questions concerning this or other items we have up for auction, please don't hesitate to email me for an answer. We will do our best to email you a reply within one day. It is best to get your questions in early since we may not be available to respond to you within minutes or hours of the auction end. Of course, we will try to reply if it is possible.

For all of those who wish to combine items, please email me to let me know of your intent and I will email you confirming this. This allows us to keep your winning items aside until you are ready to finalize your purchases. Items can only be combined for a two week period starting with the earliest winning item marking the beginning of the period.

California residents will be charged a sales tax of 8.75% unless a valid California resale card is on file with us.

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Buyer pays actual shipping. Your item will be shipped domestically using either USPS priority mail, USPS first class mail or UPS ground service. Th...

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