are

zigzag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

-shaped

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

streamers, often seen attached to or to demarcate holy spaces, and used in

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

rituals in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. They are usually found adorning doorways, shrine buildings, and

kamidana are miniature household altars provided to enshrine a Shinto . They are most commonly found in Japan, the home of worship. The is typically placed high on a wall and contains a wide variety of items related to Shinto-style ceremonies, the mos ...

. The origins of ''shide'' are traced to the ''yūshide'', a thread made from the bark of ''Broussonetia'' × ''kazinoki'' mentioned in the ''

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

''. There are different styles of folding ''shide''. One method requires placing the paper zigzags in a cut slit on a stick, creating a ritual object known as a '' gohei'' or ''heihaku''. A ''gohei'' is an offering to kami that can be seen on ''kamidana'' altars and inside the main building of a Shinto shrine. A common purification ritual uses a , a wooden stick with linen or paper ''shide'' attached at the top. A Shinto priest waves the over a person, item, or newly bought property, such as a building or a car. The wand is waved at a slow and rhythmic pace, but with a little force so that the strips make a rustling noise on each pass of the wand. For new properties, a similar ritual known as (lit. "calming the land") is performed with a within an enclosed part of the land (enclosed by ).

References

External links

* Exorcism in Shinto Origami Shinto Shinto religious objects {{Shinto-stub

See also

References

External links