Rope しめ縄 ―Shimenawa―
About Shimenawa
Bring warmth to your home.
Takubo has been making Shimenawa for about 70 years in the cradle of the Japanese mythology.
Shimenawa decorate Shinto shrines and the entrances of homes year-round in the Takachiho-go area. The origin of Shimenawa is found in the legend of Ama-no-Iwato. In the Takachiho myth, Amaterasu, the sun goddess, hid in Ama-no-Iwato cave. As she is the sun goddess, this created chaos on earth while there was no sun. The gods got together and were able to lure her out of the cave. The entrance to the cave was sealed with a rope as a boundary to prevent her from hiding there again.
Around New Years, throughout much of Japan, Shimenawa can be seen above the entrances to homes and stores. However, seeing them hanging throughout the year is rare outside of this region. Here, the deep history can be seen in the fact that the oldest style of Shimenawa is still produced.
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