Shimenawa

Lenght: 30cm (11.8 inches) or 45cm (17.7 inches)
Material : straw, paper, rice cob
Made by craftsmen in Niigata or Nagano prefecture

Shimenawa (lit. 'enclosing rope') are lengths of laid rice straw rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion.

One is always placed in front of Japanese shrines, they can also be found at the entrance to a house, an office, a martial arts club...

Japanese families usually place them in their living room or kitchen, above the altar for offerings to the gods, the Kamidana, a small Shinto shrine to bring luck and protection.

Gohei, small folded pieces of paper, are used to repel or capture malicious spirits.