The Japanese have many unique traditions and customs that are performed during New Year’s celebrations. One of the most iconic is hanging a rope of straw, called a shimenawa, across the front door of homes and businesses. This tradition dates back centuries and carries important symbolic meaning related to the Japanese concepts of renewal, health, and good fortune.
In this article, we’ll explore the origins and history behind shimenawa, examine the spiritual beliefs associated with it, and explain why it remains an integral part of Japanese New Year festivities today. Understanding the story behind shimenawa offers insights into Japanese culture, values, and worldview.
What is Shimenawa?
Shimenawa are sacred ropes made from rice straw that are displayed across thresholds like front doors and windows during the New Year season. The rope is twisted counterclockwise and often has zig-zag paper streamers, called shide, hanging from the bottom. The shimenawa is constructed in a particular pattern with the rice straw braided or twined together.
The construction usually follows set rules. The length of the shimenawa matches the circumference of the object it adorns. The width ranges from a few centimeters up to 30 cm across. Wider and more elaborately decorated shimenawa are used for sanctuaries, shrines, and sacred spaces. Simple rice straw braids are suitable for household use.
While shimenawa are most prominent during New Year’s, they are used year-round to demarcate sacred spaces in Shinto traditions. Places like shrines, temples, and some trees use a shimenawa to signify it’s a holy area. The temporary shimenawa hung at New Year’s returns after the first few days of January.
History and Origins of Shimenawa
The use of twisted rice straw ropes dates back to the Yayoi period in Japan (300 BCE – 300 CE). Objects from this prehistoric rice-farming culture were found with patterns that resemble modern shimenawa.
However, the ritual use of shimenawa emerged during the Kofun period (250 – 538 CE). In this era, rice cultivation expanded significantly across Japan aided by new technologies from Asia. With rice as a staple crop, the agricultural cycles gained religious meaning tied to fertility and the divine forces of nature.
The native Shinto religion also formalized during the Kofun period. Shimenawa became integrated into Shinto rituals and mythologies as a tool to invoke kami or spirits. The earliest records of shimenawa used for purification and blessing come from the Nihon Shoki, a history of ancient Japan written in 720 CE.
The symbolic power of the rice straw comes from its origins as a vital agricultural crop. Twisted into a rope, it represents the woven strands of life and the interconnection of humankind, nature, and the spirit world. Over centuries, the use of shimenawa became systematized into the traditions still followed today.
Spiritual Significance and Symbolism
In the Shinto faith, shimenawa are believed to act as a barrier against evil influences and ward off bad luck. The rice straw purifies the area within its boundaries. It also denotes the domain of a specific kami or spirit.
Twirling the rice stalks together binds up any impurities or pollution, a concept called kegare in Japanese. The shide paper zig-zags further dispel malign forces. By cleansing the area, the shimenawa creates a sacred space for the kami to enter and bless the home or shrine.
In metaphysical terms, the shimenawa functions like an energy field separating the mundane human world from the divine spiritual realm. The threshold marked by the shimenawa allows limited interaction between the two dimensions. At New Year’s, this is meant to attract good fortune from the kami.
The idea of demarcating sacred ground reflects the Shinto view of nature as divine. Special natural places like mountains, forests, and rivers are revered as dwelling places for various kami. Shimenawa rope used there honors the spiritual presences.
For the home, the shimenawa purifies the interior and turns it into a temporary sanctuary. This parallels the Shinto emphasis on ritual purity. Followers perform acts like hand washing and sprinkling salt to cleanse themselves before approaching sacred spaces and kami.
Why Hang Shimenawa at New Year’s?
During the Japanese New Year, called Oshogatsu, shimenawa performs several symbolic roles tied to cultural beliefs about renewal and fresh starts.
– Welcoming the Kami – As the old year ends, the kami are believed to return to the divine realm. The shimenawa invites them back to the human world to bestow their blessings again. Renewing the shimenawa rope readies the home to receive these spirits.
– Purification – The New Year represents a new beginning. Last year’s impurities and misfortunes must be cleansed away. The shimenawa rope dispels any negative energies lingering from the past.
– Good Fortune – With the home purified, the visiting kami will impart health, prosperity, and luck for the coming year. The shimenawa rope provides a channel for these divine gifts to enter.
– Protection – Evil influences might also seek to enter at New Year’s when openings exist between realms. The shimenawa acts as a shield keeping misfortune out of the home.
– Gratitude – Shimenawa honors the ancestral kami who watch over the land and people. Displaying shimenawa expresses gratitude for the rice harvest as a gift from the kami.
– Renewal – Like Oshogatsu celebrations, shimenawa symbolizes renewal and new life. Just as the rice stalks regrow each season, shimenawa marks the start of a fresh cycle.
The concepts of purification, blessing, protection, and celebration through shimenawa remain meaningful in modern Japan. Traditions like hanging shimenawa endure by adapting spiritual beliefs to contemporary culture.
How Shimenawa are Displayed for New Year’s
For New Year’s preparations, many Japanese households construct a shimenawa from braided rice straw and zig-zag shide paper. Smaller shimenawa are made using thin rice straw cords. People also buy ready-made shimenawa from shrines or department stores to hang up.
The shimenawa gets placed over the front door frame on New Year’s Eve or the first morning of Oshogatsu. Store-bought versions often include short ropes for securing the shimenawa in place horizontally. After hanging the shimenawa, many Japanese will offer prayers for purification and make offerings like rice, salt, or mochi rice cakes.
In addition to the front entrance, shimenawa also adorn the kitchen door, toilet door, and window frames. Garage doors and gateways may also have shimenawa. The ropes stay up for about a week until January 7th based on old Buddhist solar calendars. On the 7th day, called nanakusa or seven herbs, the shimenawa gets taken down and sometimes burned or placed in a river.
In ancient times, the rice straw rope was renewed each year. Now it’s common for plastic shimenawa to be reused. Some traditional homes will still construct a new shimenawa annually by hand. The ritual renewal of shimenawa keeps its spiritual potency alive.
Regional Variations
While the use of shimenawa is widespread, regional customs add unique local flair:
Okinawa – Colorful ropes called hei are made from rice stalks or sisal. Zig-zags cut from hibiscus bark known as hibiscus fiber streamers called nānukui are attached.
Kyoto – In the old capital, shimenawa are constructed using techniques passed down through specialist craftsmen. The style is more elaborate.
Osaka – Flashy gold and silver cords are used. In merchant culture, shimenawa were a status symbol displayed outside shops.
Fukui – Extra long shimenawa called haraegushi measuring over 3 meters guard entire buildings. Local artisans hand-twist them.
Ise – As the home of Shinto’s most sacred shrines, Ise has complex shimenawa made by hereditary priests. Ritual use here extends beyond New Year’s.
So while common elements unite shimenawa practices nationwide, regional diversity adds stylistic flair. These local twists reflect Japan’s broader cultural geography.
Modern Revival
In the late 1800s, the Meiji government promoted Shinto nationalism and religious practices like shimenawa were discouraged. Their use continued in traditional homes but declined overall.
After World War 2, shimenawa experienced a revival along with interest in traditional culture. Displaying shimenawa during Oshogatsu again became mainstream practice. The ritual continues today as an emblem of renewal, luck, heritage, and the resilience of old customs joining the modern age.
Shimenawa in Popular Culture
Beyond homes and shrines, shimenawa symbolism appears across Japanese pop culture:
– Manga comics use shimenawa seals on doors as shorthand for supernatural realms. Breaking the shimenawa unleashes spirits and monsters.
– Anime series incorporate shimenawa when introducing Shinto influences or magical elements. They take on sci-fi forms like laser beam barriers.
– Video games build shimenawa gates as checkpoints or barriers before boss battles. Passing through signals entering sacred dangerous ground.
– Movies dramatize the protective power of shimenawa against evil. Cutting a shimenawa can allow evil inside, a common horror trope.
While sometimes reduced to a visual prop, even decorative uses preserve the ancient spirit warding role of shimenawa in the cultural imagination.
Shimenawa Around the World
Outside Japan, shimenawa have been adopted in religions and spiritual practices that originated or were influenced by Shinto. For example:
Chinese Folk Religions – Guide ropes resembling shimenawa are used to demarcate sacred spaces for Chinese deities and during festivals.
Korean Shamanism – Korean shamans employ ropes and tassels to mark off where rituals occur. The boundary ropes filter benevolent spirits from evil.
Ryukyuan Religion – This indigenous faith of Okinawa uses rituals, altars, and hei ropes related to Japanese shimenawa.
New Religious Movements – Japanese new religions like Tenrikyo adopted and reinterpreted shimenawa for modern times. Use spread with missionaries.
Neopagan Religions – Neopagan and occult practices may incorporate shimenawa symbolism as part of eclectic borrowing from world traditions.
So within or inspired by its Japanese origins, shimenawa continues to signify sanctity, protection, and human-divine connection in various spiritual worldviews.
Conclusion
The shimenawa rope constructed from rice straw is a core element of Japan’s indigenous Shinto tradition. During the New Year season, shimenawa hung across thresholds renews the connection between people’s homes and the spiritual realm.
This ritual purification opens the way for divine blessings, beneficial energies, and good fortune in the coming year. It also prevents misfortune from entering the home. While now intertwined with modern life, shimenawa preserves ancient beliefs about the sacred power of rice, nature, and the cosmos.
Displaying shimenawa shows respect for heritage and the forces that sustain us. The twist of straw strands represents the interweaving of human lives with the metaphysical world. This mindset continues to influence Japanese culture and worldview today through enduring customs like the New Year shimenawa.