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In medieval times, the wealthy would donate horses to the shrine, especially when making a request to the god of the shrine (for example, when praying for victory in battle). For smaller favors, pictures of a horse became the customary gift and such ema are still popular today. Visitors to the shrine purchase the wooden tablet (ema) which contains the likeness of a horse, or nowadays, other symbols (snakes, arrows, dragons. The visitor then writes his/her wish or prayer on the tablet, and hangs it at the shrine.
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