Keep it long, treasure it long.

Preparing for a Happy New Year

Shimekazari decorations are indispensable for New Year's. Their role is to properly welcome Toshigami-sama, the god of happiness, who visits homes as the new year begins. It is said that impurities and evil spirits cannot enter the area where the Shimekazari decorations are displayed, and they are said to have the meaning of warding off evil and protecting the house. By attaching auspicious ornaments to the Shimenawa, which indicates the sacred place where the god descends, it becomes a sign that "we welcome the Toshigami-sama," and the god will come to deliver happiness with peace of mind.

Made by the warm hands of artisans

This is an authentic straw Shimekazari decoration handmade one by one by artisans in Nagano. The main variety of rice straw used is "Shiroge Mochimai." This rice is a rare ancient rice grown only in the Ina Valley in Nagano Prefecture, and has indomitable strength, flexibility, thickness, and tall height. Six types of straw, including Shiroge Mochimai, are used for the Shimekazari decorations. Each type is carefully selected high-quality rice straw, and since each type has a different length, thickness, and softness, different rice straws are used for each product. Every year, high-quality straw is carefully selected one by one from a large amount of rice straw, and those that require freshness are used immediately, while those that require flexibility are stored and then woven again after 2 to 3 years.

Zodiac (Large, Kanji): The New Year's decoration features the snake, which is the zodiac sign for 2025. Snakes are said to be messengers of Benzaiten, the goddess of art, fortune, and water, and it is said that if you make a wish to a snake, Benzaiten will deliver it to you.
The kanji character for the snake is hidden inside the wreath. The large character represents a snake with its body twisting from side to side, just before it takes off.

Plover: Plover is a general term for birds that live in flocks near water. The word 'sen' (a thousand) sounds like 'sentori' (a thousand to take), and it is said to be a lucky charm for winning or achieving goals, as it is believed to bring you a lot of happiness. It has a cute face with big round eyes and a plump body, like a duck or geese. The technique of adding straw to create this sense of volume is unique to Waramu.

Enman (small, large): A shimekazari decorated with straw wrapped in a three-dimensional shape and finished in a round shape. It is finished with plenty of ears of rice to represent a good harvest. It is a symbol of abundance, and is used to pray for prosperity and development in various forms, such as health, safety in the home, and prosperity in business. It is also nice to arrange it with flowers attached to the base.

Meguri mawakuru: A shimenawa made by wrapping straw around it in a circle many times. The circle represents the "circle of people," and is imbued with the wish to have good connections with many people.

Sugotori, Shukutori: These are straw decorations in the shape of a chicken. The smaller one is Shukutori, and the larger one is Sugotori. Roosters, which are kept at Ise Shrine, are cherished as messengers of the gods and are considered to be auspicious for business prosperity, as they "bring in good fortune = convey good news." When decorating, make sure the face faces left.

How to decorate shimekazari

It is said that the start of preparations for the New Year is December 13th, the day of soot removal, which is said to be the origin of the big cleaning. Therefore, the correct way to decorate is to start decorating between the 13th and 31st. However, the 29th is called double suffering and the 31st is called one-day decoration, and are considered to be unlucky days, so it is safer to avoid them. On the other hand, in some areas, the 29th is considered to bring "fuku (good fortune)," so it seems best to follow local customs.

Decorations should be finished by January 8th, the end of the Matsunouchi period. The period varies by region, but is usually from January 1st to 7th. Once you have finished decorating, you can burn the decorations at a local bonfire festival such as Dondoyaki, or dispose of them at a shrine.

The History of Straw Crafts

Straw crafts are said to be the oldest traditional craft in Japan. Straw, which is made by drying the stalks that remain after harvesting rice, has been closely related to the lives of Japanese people since ancient times. It has a wide range of uses, from everyday items to tools used in faith and ceremonies, toys, and crafts, and is an indispensable material in forming Japanese culture. It was a source of income mainly in areas where rice cultivation is popular, during the seasons when farm work is not possible, but nowadays, with the mechanization of rice cultivation, it has become common to cut straw and turn it into compost at the same time as harvesting, making it difficult to obtain long straw for straw crafts. As there has been little progress in training craftsmen, the number of craftsmen continues to decrease year by year, and it is one of the traditional crafts that needs new bearers.

Waramu, the future of straw

The brand story of Waramu begins when the founder, Mr. Sakai, moved to Iijima Town in Nagano Prefecture. Iijima Town was known as a rice-producing area, also known as "Rice Island," so Mr. Sakai planned an event called the Rice Bale Marathon, which used rice bales in the town, but faced the situation of difficulty in obtaining rice bales. He found a craftsman himself, learned how to make rice bales, and made rice bales, which led to him starting to make straw products. While learning how to make straw bales, Sakai learned that the straw craft culture is declining due to the decrease in farmers. In fact, there are currently about 50 straw craftsmen in Japan, most of whom are in their 90s. "Without straw weavers, we wouldn't be able to make the sacred ropes at shrines, the decorations for New Year's, or the straw bales for sumo wrestling, and many traditional Japanese cultures would not be able to continue. Just as rice is the soul food of the Japanese people, rice straw is the foundation of traditional Japanese culture." With this in mind, Sakai started a straw craft company in earnest, and while he is a craftsman himself, he is also focusing on training young craftsmen. Currently, he is able to make straw bales for sumo wrestling rings and shimenawa for Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and is a driving force behind the future of straw crafts.