A four-fold paper screen painted in ink on a gold ground with six horses frolicking beneath a tree.

Japan, 19th century, Edo period.

Dimensions: H. 82.5 cm x W. 192 cm (32½” x 75½”)

Horses entered Japan from the continent in the prehistoric period and were used initially for domestic purposes. Military use of the horse in Japan began centuries later, at the end of fourth century. Thereafter, even in times of peace, horsemanship was an important attribute of the court and military elite.

Horses are also highly regarded in the religious realm too. In Shinto it is believed that horses carry messages between the temporal and heavenly realms and kami (gods) appear on horses. In this regard, white horses were initially kept at important shrines as sacred animals, but when this became prohibitively expensive, large carvings or paintings of horses were often substituted. Ema (horse pictures) are votive plaques where horses are depicted and are placed at shrines and temples to convey one’s prayers and petitions to the gods.