Keep it long, treasure it long.

Preparing for a Happy New Year

Shimenawa decorations are an essential part of the New Year celebration. Their purpose is to properly welcome Toshigami-sama — the god of good fortune who visits each home at the turn of the year. It is said that impurities and evil spirits cannot enter any place adorned with a shimenawa decoration, giving it a meaning similar to a protective barrier or charm against evil. By attaching auspicious ornaments to the sacred shimenawa rope — which marks the holy ground upon which deities descend — the decoration serves as a sign that says "We welcome Toshigami-sama," inviting the deity to arrive in peace and deliver happiness.

Crafted with Care by Skilled Artisans

These are authentic straw shimenawa decorations, each handmade one by one by artisans in Nagano. The primary variety of rice straw used is Shirage Mochigome — a rare ancient grain grown only in the Ina Valley of Nagano Prefecture, prized for its remarkable strength and flexibility, its thickness, and its tall stalks. Each decoration uses six varieties of straw, including Shirage Mochigome. All are carefully selected for their quality, and because each variety differs in length, thickness, and softness, the straw is chosen specifically for each product. Every year, artisans sort through large quantities of harvested straw by hand, selecting only the finest strands — using freshly harvested straw immediately for pieces that require it, and storing other varieties for two to three years before beginning to weave, for pieces that call for greater suppleness.

Zodiac Designs (Sho / Jin Mirai Sai): These shimenawa decorations are themed around the sheep (hitsuji), the zodiac animal for 2027. Because the character for "sheep" (羊) is found within the character for "auspiciousness" (祥, sho), the sheep is considered a good-luck animal that brings happiness and good fortune. And because sheep travel in flocks, these decorations are also recommended as a symbol of family harmony — ideal for display in a place where family gathers. Sho features a round, wreath-like form in which finely twisted straw is carefully woven to depict a sheep's face. The paper streamers (shide) with their dot-patterned cutouts follow the Ise style — a prestigious tradition passed down from Ise Jingu. Jin Mirai Sai is a Buddhist term meaning "continuing forever, into eternity." It features a distinctive side profile with finely twisted horns and gentle, round eyes.

Meguri Mawaru: A shimenawa in the shape of a circular ring, formed by winding straw over and over in layers. The ring represents the "circle of people," and the decoration is made with the wish that the wearer will be blessed with many meaningful connections and good relationships.

Chidori: Chidori (plovers) are a collective name for birds that live in flocks near water. A wordplay on chi (thousand) and toru (to take) — giving chitoru, meaning "to gather a thousand" — makes the plover a lucky charm associated with winning fortune and achieving one's goals. ※ This is a wall-hanging type.

Enman: The golden hue of full, abundant rice ears set against the straw makes a striking impression. This decoration carries wishes for all forms of prosperity and growth — abundance, good health, household safety, and business success.

Iwai Tori: The rooster (tori) carries the meaning of "drawing in good fortune" and "delivering good news," making it a lucky charm for business prosperity. The design is simple: a curved rope forms the body, and a tassel (fringe) serves as the legs.

How to Display Your Shimenawa Decoration

For New Year preparations, the proper time to put up your shimenawa decoration is between mid-December and the 31st. Most people tend to display theirs right after taking down their Christmas decorations, as part of year-end preparations. However, the 29th is considered unlucky because the number 29 can be read as niju-ku ("double suffering"), and the 31st is called ichinichi kazari ("one-day decoration") and is also considered inauspicious — both are best avoided. That said, some regions view the 29th as auspicious, reading it as fuku ("good fortune"), so it is best to follow local customs.
Decorations are typically taken down around January 8th, the end of matsu no uchi (the pine period). The duration of matsu no uchi varies by region, but January 1st through 7th is most common. Once taken down, shimenawa decorations should be burned at local dondo-yaki (bonfire) events or other traditional send-off ceremonies, or disposed of at a shrine or temple.

The History of Straw Craft

Straw craft is said to be one of Japan's oldest traditional crafts. Straw — the dried stalks left after rice is harvested — has been woven into Japanese daily life for centuries. Its uses are extraordinarily wide-ranging, from everyday household tools to items for religious rituals, weddings, and funerals, as well as toys and decorative crafts, making it an indispensable material in the formation of Japanese culture. In rice-growing regions, straw craft traditionally served as a source of income during the off-season when farm work was not possible. However, as rice farming has become increasingly mechanized, it is now common practice to shred the straw at the time of harvest and use it as compost — making it difficult to obtain the long straw needed for traditional crafts. With little progress in training new artisans, the number of practitioners continues to decline year by year, and straw craft is now one of many traditional crafts in urgent need of new hands.

Waramu: Carrying the Future of Straw

The story of Waramu begins when its founder, Mr. Sakai, relocated to Iijima-machi in Nagano Prefecture. Known as a renowned rice-producing town — sometimes called Meshi no Shima ("Island of Rice") — Iijima inspired Mr. Sakai to organize a local event called the Kome-dawara Marathon, a race in which participants carry rice bales. But he quickly discovered that obtaining actual rice bales was far more difficult than expected. He sought out an artisan, learned the craft, and made the bales himself — and that experience became the starting point for his journey into straw craftsmanship. Through the process of learning to make bales, he came to understand the decline of straw craft culture as the farming population shrank. Today, there are only around 50 straw craft artisans remaining in Japan, and most of them are in their 90s. "Without straw weavers," Mr. Sakai came to believe, "we cannot make the sacred ropes for shrines, the New Year shimenawa decorations, or the straw bales that form the sumo ring — and much of Japan's traditional culture would cease to exist. Just as rice is the soul food of the Japanese people, rice straw is the very foundation of Japan's traditional culture." Driven by this conviction, Mr. Sakai founded a company dedicated to straw craft in earnest, becoming an artisan himself while also pouring energy into training the next generation. Today, Waramu receives commissions for projects including the straw bales of the sumo ring and the sacred rope at Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and stands as a leading force in securing the future of straw craft in Japan.