New Zealand is gifting Kōmaru, a 10-year-old white horse, to Japan to carry on a 54-year-old tradition.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said Kōmaru would be given to the Toshogu Shrine later this year, after previous horse Kōtuku died in 2017.
"He is a gift of friendship from the people of New Zealand to the people of Japan and a symbol of the enduring relationship between our two countries," Mr Peters said in a statement.
"Kōmaru in the Maori language means 'sheltered'. Our hope is that Kōmaru will enjoy a long and protected life as a sacred member of the Toshogu Shrine."
A spokesperson for Mr Peters told 1 NEWS Kōmaru was born in Clevedon near Auckland, "and has most recently been living in the Hawke's Bay".
"He has been a competitive dressage horse, and also loves jumping."
New Zealand first gave Japan a white horse after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and Kōmaru is the fifth horse to be gifted.
The statement said the shrine where Kōmaru will live was created by Tokugawa Shoguns, who ruled for 250 years in Japan until 1868, and is the resting place of the Tokugawa Shogunate founder.
"It is a World Heritage site and receives almost two million visitors each year," the statement read.
Kōmaru is to live his life in a spacious stable, and will be seen by thousands each day.
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