shinme
Shinme (神馬; also read jinme or kamiuma) are sacred horses in Japan that act as mounts for kami (Shinto deities or spirits). It is not common for the horses to be worshipped as kami themselves. Shinme can refer to both horses donated to Shinto shrines and those used in festivals. There are no official requirements for the type of horse, though white horses are generally more prized as shinme. However, most of these white horses are in fact gray, and a study looking into the sexes of shinme offered to Ise Shrine between 1865 and 2017 found no mares. In addition to white horses, horses with rare coat colors are also often selected as shinme.
The characters for shinme can also be read shinba, but this reading refers to mystical horses acting as messengers from the kami, rather than horses offered to the kami from humans as steeds.
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