Treasured ema, votive tablet

Photo slideshow of ema and votive tablet of Oiwasan Bishamonten, a designated cultural property of Ashikaga City

Many ema and votive tablets are dedicated in the outer sanctuary of the main temple building of Oiwasan Tamonin Saishoji Temple, a.k.a. Oiwasan Bishamonten.

An ema is a wooden board with a picture on it that is dedicated to a temple or shrine in gratitude for prayers or the fulfillment of one's wishes. Ema are usually small, about 20 cm in length, and are usually found at shrines and temples.

Oiwayama Bishamonten boasts one of the largest numbers of ema dedications in the prefecture for a single shrine or temple. There are more than 130 ema and votive tablets inside the main temple, some as small as 20 cm and others more than 2 meters in length.
The number of ema dedicated to the temple, the variety of designs on them, and the nature of the prayers offered are all indicative of the many people who have come to worship at the temple.

The group of ema and votive tablets dedicated to Oiwasan Bishamonten are registered as a designated cultural property (folk cultural property) of Ashikaga City.

The oldest ema in the main temple is a depiction of Shichifukujin (Seven Gods of Good Fortune) dedicated when the main hall was rebuilt in 1762 after it was destroyed by fire in 1757.

Among the ema and votive tablets displayed in the main temple of Oiwasan Bishamonten, some of them are very rare and precious. Some of them are listed below.

Entering the main temple of Oiwayama Bishamonten and looking up, you will see over 130 ema tablets. Looking further in, at the ceiling, you will see a huge black dragon painted all over the ceiling.

It represents a scene in which the brilliant "Kiku Jido" is being performed. The painter is Sawayama Sen, known for his high skill.

It depicts Fujiwara no Fuhito's attempt to recover the "Menko-Fuhai-no-Hoju" (beautiful treasured pearl that is well-rounded from all angles), which was stolen by the dragon god, by having a diver sneak into the dragon's palace. This ema uses Western perspective (a form of perspective), which was rare at the time and known as ukiyoe.

Among the votive tablets are haiku that include haiku by Kobayashi Issa and other famous masters from all over Japan. It is said to be a valuable literary and artistic resource.
This haiku is also published in several other haiku anthologies under Issa's name, and is said to be one of Issa's most confident works.

The ema of "Bishamonten image" by Ryu Ryu Kyo Shinsai, a highly respected disciple of Katsushika Hokusai, is very rare even in Japan. The ema by Shinsai is usually closed to the public.
The ema of "Bishamonten image" by Ryu Ryu Kyo Shinsai, a disciple of Hokusai Katsushika, can be seen at Oiwasan Bishamonten.
This ema was discovered overlapping behind other ema when all ema were removed during the renovation of the main temple in 1993.
It depicts a heroic figure of Bishamonten stomping on a demon, with the signature "By Shinsai" and the inscription "Shinsai" stamped on the lower left side of the picture, and the year "Ansei 7 (1860)" and the dedicator's name on the reverse side.

It is said that there are two types of Katsushika Hokusai's disciples: 1) those who resemble Hokusai's painting style, and 2) those who developed their own style. Ryu Ryu Kyo Shinsai, a highly respected disciple of Hokusai, was originally considered to be the latter, i.e., a disciple with his own original style.
However, the style of this ema is very similar to that of his master, Katsushika Hokusai. The discovery of this ema is said to have changed the conventional image of Shinsai.

You can see a video of the ema and votive tablets dedicated to Oiwasan Bishamonten being displayed. On the first day of every month, the main temple is open to the public for Goma training. Please come and visit us for Goma training.