Baseball bats and home plates turn into ema—how many of Japan’s 8 unique ema designs have you collected?

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Whenever visiting a Japanese shrine, it’s almost customary to write a wish on an ema, hoping it comes true. But besides the traditional pentagonal ones, many shrines actually hide a variety of uniquely shaped ema, which have become collectibles for many travelers. Here are 8 different ema designs—how many have you collected?

▲ Mirror Ema: One side is a “bare-face” that visitors can color in as they wish. (Photo / Screenshot from NAVER)

1. Kyoto Kawai Shrine – “Mirror Ema” for Beautiful Wishes
Known as Japan’s top shrine for praying for beautiful looks, Kawai Shrine’s ema is shaped like a handheld mirror, hence called the mirror ema.

One side of the ema features a “bare-face” with facial features, and many women use the provided colored pens to “apply makeup” on it, then write their inner wishes on the red side, praying to become more beautiful both inside and out.

▲ Wooden clog ema designed for those hoping for good weather to travel. (Photo / Screenshot from NAVER)

2. Tokyo Tenki Shrine – Clog Ema
It’s said that many couples preparing for marriage or people planning hikes, in hopes of good weather on the day, will hang up clog ema alongside hanging good-luck dolls, praying for sunny skies.

▲ If you want to win at baseball, you must visit Yakyu Inari Shrine—the ema here even has a baseball theme. (Photo / Screenshot from NAVER)

3. Saitama Yakyu Inari Shrine – Bat Ema and Home Plate Ema
The Japanese word for Yakyu Inari Shrine is “yakyuu” (やきゅう), which is the same pronunciation as “baseball” in Japanese, earning it the nickname “Baseball Shrine.” It’s a popular spot for pro baseball players and industry professionals.

The shrine also offers bat- and home plate-shaped ema, making it a unique feature.

▲ Dragon Sound Temple designs everything from the water basin to the ema in the shape of female breasts, attracting many visitors. (Photo / From Wikipedia)

4. Aichi Ryuenji Temple – Breast Ema
Ryuenji Temple, known for prayers for safe childbirth, is most famous for its breast-shaped designs—not just in the hand-washing basin but also in the ema used for wishes. This has made it a well-known spot for collecting unique ema.

▲ Simple plate-shaped ema offer a minimalist feel compared to traditional pentagonal ones. (Photo / Screenshot from NAVER)

5. Tokyo Tamagawa Asama Shrine – Plate Ema
Made of porcelain in the shape of a plate, these ema let you write your wish on the surface before hanging them. Though simple, their unique shape makes them a worthy collectible compared to traditional ema.

▲ White fox ema that you can draw various expressions on have become another attraction at Fushimi Inari Taisha. (Photo / Screenshot from NAVER)

6. Kyoto Fushimi Inari Taisha – White Fox Ema
Famous for its thousands of torii gates, Fushimi Inari Taisha’s fox-shaped ema are loved by many visitors. You can freely draw different expressions on the fox's face before hanging it, creating a fun and varied display of white fox ema.

Besides the white fox ema, if you want to take a torii gate home, there are also red torii-shaped “torii ema.”

% The shrine also offers a unique red torii gate-shaped ema. (Photo / Screenshot from NAVER)