2023 from the Hourokusha vol.3 「Shimekazari making experience」

2023.12.20

Photo:Junichiro Morinaga

Text: Kayo Arita

There is a practice that the Japanese have taken for granted since ancient times: making Shimekazari.

Rice straw has long been used as a material for making familiar tools.

This was natural in the climate of Japan, where rice is the staple food.

Today, rice straw itself is no longer a familiar material and there are few opportunities to come into contact with straw crafts.

In this context, we want to introduce rice straw crafts into our daily lives as a matter of course, and we want to create a space for this.

Making Shimekazari (decorations for the New Year) is the best way to introduce straw craft.

We want visitors to experience through their five senses the tactile sensation of the rice straw, the feeling of the straw becoming supple by tapping it, the sensation of the rope being woven, and many other things that are usually difficult to feel.

And we hope it will give you a chance to look again at the Japanese way of life with the rice plant.

Mr Ichihara from Minefusha told us this before we started the experience.

At the end of November we made Shimekazari (New Year decorations).

This is an experience of making Shimekazari to welcome the New Year.

In Japan, there is a long tradition of using rice straw from the rice harvest to make decorations to welcome Toshigami-sama.

Nowadays, rice straw is scarce and there are few opportunities to make ropes from it.

The rice straw, which is usually ploughed into the rice fields, has been specially shared by the rice farmers in Odawara. This is valuable pesticide-free rice straw.

Thanking the rice for its care and touching the rice straw is a very valuable experience at the end of the year.

Participants make a Shimekazari by making a rope from three bundles of straw in the traditional way.

Many of the participants experienced straw for the first time as the teacher explained the basics of rope weaving.

Participants made their own Shimenawa at their own pace, and when they were finished, they enjoyed decorating them freely using traditional materials such as daidai, shide, mizuhiki and pine needles, cypress and sasa from the garden Mr Ichihara had prepared for them.

The venue was a Japanese house originally used as a holiday home.

Combined with the unique atmosphere of the old house, it was an experience that gave a very sacred feeling.

The Fujino district of Sagamihara is about 300 metres above sea level and the air is crisp in winter.

After the Shimenawa rope experience in the morning, many people enjoyed walking around the area and getting a taste of satoyama in winter.