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Shimenawa (標縄・注連縄・七五三縄, literally "enclosing rope") are lengths of laid rice straw rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. They can vary in diameter from a few centimetres to several metres, and are often seen festooned with ''shide''. A space bound by ''shimenawa'' often indicates a sacred or pure space, such as that of a Shinto shrine.〔Cf. Kasulis (2004:17-23).〕 ''Shimenawa'' are believed to act as a ward against evil spirits and are often set up at a ground-breaking ceremony before construction begins on a new building. They are often found at Shinto shrines, ''torii'' gates, and sacred landmarks. They are also used around ''yorishiro'' (objects capable of attracting spirits, hence inhabited by spirits). These notably include certain trees, in which case the inhabiting spirits are called ''kodama,'' and cutting down these trees is thought to bring misfortune. In cases of stones, the stones are known as .〔"(Shimenawa & Rock )", ''(More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan ),'' Thursday, March 18, 2010〕 A variation of the ''shimenawa'' is used in sumo wrestling by ''yokozuna'' (grand champions) during their entrance ceremonies to denote their rank. This is because the ''yokozuna'' is seen as a living ''yorishiro'' (formally ''shintai''), and as such is inhabited by a spirit. ==Image gallery== File:Izuma Taisha Shimenawa.jpg File:Shimenawa at Izumo-Taisha.png File:Shimenawa-Meigetsuin.jpg File:Yuki_Shrine_-_giant_Sugi.jpg File:Syouhouji5851.jpg File:Meotoiwa wedded rocks.jpg File:注連縄.JPG 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shimenawa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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