The “Shide”

Anyone who has visited a Shinto shrine has seen the zig-zagged white paper streamers called shide (pronounced “shi-deh”). They can be hanging from the torii, from different parts of the shrine, from trees on the grounds, and so forth. They are used to signify sacred space and in Shinto rituals. They can be attached to a wand and used by a Shinto priest for blessings or purification rituals. The photograph to the right is a shide hanging at the Wakamiya Inari Shrine.

There are websites and YouTube videos that demonstrate how to fold paper to create a similar-looking object, or that explain in more detail about these commonly seen objects at Shinto shrines.