Gosho Aoyama Dedicates Giant Ema to Sensoji Temple for First Time in 100 Years

A special dedication ceremony for the anime YAIBA: Samurai Legend (airs Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. on Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV) took place on August 18 in front of the five-story pagoda at Sensoji Temple in Tokyo. Manga creator Gosho Aoyama appeared at the event to unveil a giant ema (votive plaque), the first of its kind to be dedicated to the temple in about 100 years.

The ceremony was held surrounded by character panels from the anime and a title board featuring the wind and thunder gods. The giant ema was crafted from a 200-year-old tree from the Denboin Garden inside Sensoji and carved at the Nanbu Hakuun wood carving studio in Toyama, a workshop with roots dating back to 1898. Aoyama himself spent three days illustrating the characters—including protagonist Yaiba Kurogane—onto the plaque, which was publicly revealed for the first time.

More than 200 votive plaques donated since the Edo period are preserved at Sensoji, but this marks the first time in a century that a large-scale ema has been contributed. Aoyama’s artwork now stands alongside historic pieces by legendary artists like Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Settan Hasegawa, and Kazunobu Kano.

Aoyama and Yaiba jointly unveiled the plaque. Aoyama explained, “The magic and shaded areas are done in ink. The frame was intricately carved by experts, so I had to avoid touching it and drew the whole thing leaning over a table for three days straight—it was tough.” He also revealed that he had to find areas with clean wood grain to draw on and worked from the center outward, admitting, “By the time I got to Kojiro Sasaki, I was already exhausted.” On the far left, he added Yamato Nadeshiko, saying, “Since she appears in the anime now, I thought I’d include her for the occasion.” With a wry smile, he added, “They apparently cut down a 200-year-old tree for this, so I feel kind of bad.”

Sensoji’s chief steward Moriyama expressed gratitude, saying, “Thank you for this magnificent piece—it feels like the characters are about to step out of the plaque. Japanese culture, especially anime, is something the world can be proud of. I’m sure many visitors will gather peacefully to view this artwork.”

YAIBA is based on Gosho Aoyama’s original manga, best known for Detective Conan. The story follows wild samurai boy Yaiba Kurogane, who returns from jungle training to Japan, seeking greater strength and embodying the samurai spirit. His journey kicks into high gear upon meeting rival Takeshi Onimaru, who acquires a legendary cursed sword, setting the stage for a spectacular adventure.

The manga originally ran in Weekly Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan) from 1988 to 1993, with over 17 million copies sold. A TV anime aired from 1993 to 1994. The new anime marks the franchise’s first new installment in 31 years, with Aoyama overseeing the script entirely.

Source : ORICON NEWS