A traditional Japanese New Year's ornament called Shimenawa 'しめ縄' shows the sacred place where the gods have descended.
It is believed that no unclean or evil spirits can enter the place where it is placed, and it also serves as a kind of protective wall and ward off evil spirits.
The reason why Shimenawa decorations are placed at the entrance is to show that this is the house where the New Year's god is to be welcomed.
In some regions, Shimenawa are placed not only at the gate or entrance, but also at the cooking stove, water tap (or well in the olden days) and other places.
The days on which these New Year's ornament are generally displayed are 25-28 and 30 December, and the time to remove them is 8 January of the following year. This Shimenawa should be displayed at the entrance until 8 January, after which it can be used as interior decoration in the room (entrance, living room or alcove).
Detail
Material :
Igusa (Rush Grass) from Kumamoto
Washi Paper from Ichikawa, Yamanashi
Wood from Yoshino, Nara
Mizuhiki (paper cord) from Iida, Nagano
Artisan
iN STYLE
Grandmother of Fukuoka Hanagoza 'Kakegawa', holder of Fukuoka Prefecture's intangible cultural asset technique, father of a craftsman of Fukuoka Prefecture's speciality Kakegawa weaving and a contemporary master craftsman of Fukuoka Prefecture. 2005 'TATAMIST' 2008 'IGSA series' Design Director, awarded 'Good Design Award'. Involved in many other award-winning projects, including the 'Fukuoka Industrial Design' Excellence Award.
The area is suffering from the negative effects of the ageing population, lack of successors, raw material procurement, cessation of machine production and the threat of the collapse of the division of labour.
