Japanese Vintage Wood Prayer Board Ema Sleeping Cat Nemuri Neko of Nikko Shrine


Japanese Vintage Wood Prayer Board Ema Sleeping Cat Nemuri Neko of Nikko Shrine

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Japanese Vintage Wood Prayer Board Ema Sleeping Cat Nemuri Neko of Nikko Shrine:
$14.99



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Japanese Vintage Wood Prayer Board Ema Sleeping Cat Nemuri Neko of Nikko Shrine

MPORTANT 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

This piece measures 4 inches high by 6.25 iches wide at the widest point. 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 piece depicts a wooden carving of sleeping cat (Nemuri-neko) of Nikko Toshogu Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture of Japan. The Toshogu Shrine was built for the first Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa by his grandson, the third Shogun Iyemitsu. It is the mausoleum of Ieyasu who is one of the most important figures in Japanese history, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that lasted for over 250 years until 1867. The Toshogu Shrine is very famous for its colorful and sumptuously decorated buildings that are unlike the typical simple styled built Shinto shrines.

The carving of the curled up sleeping cat among the peonies (Nemuri Neko) is located on the top of Kuguri-mon Gate and it was said to have been carved by the famous temple carpenter Jingoro Hidari (southpaw Jingoro). The cat represents the wish for peace and happiness in the world that acts as a good luck charm as well.

The branded inscription on the piece reads \"sacred wood\" and \"Nikko Toshogu.\" This piece is made of Japanese Cypress wood and it is considered sacred in Japan used often to construct shrines and many Shinto related items such as charms and Ema like this particular piece.

The inscription on the back of the piece reads \"J.T.B Kawaji hot spring Campaign Commemoration\" and \"Kawaji hot spring Inn Association\" in Nikko of Tochigi Prefecture of Japan. JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) corporation is the largest travel agency in Japan and one of the largest travel agencies in the world. This Ema was probably custom made as the promotional gift by the Kawaji hot spring inn association with the collaboration of JTB when they had a tour campaign to attract tourists to the area. The condition is very good and its age is from the 1960\'s.

The fragrance of the Cypress wood is still present and the thickness of this ema is very unusual (see photo).

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A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES:

If you have any questions concerning this or other items we have up for sale, 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 sale 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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Japanese Vintage Wood Prayer Board Ema Sleeping Cat Nemuri Neko of Nikko Shrine:
$14.99

Buy Now