View source for Zigzag Paper Tassel

{{Useful Notes}}
[[File:shide 300px.jpg|frame]] 

''Shide'' are paper tassels with a zigzag shape, associated with Shinto. They are sometimes seen hanging from ropes, known as ''shimenawa'', found at [[Shrines and Temples|shrines]] or other sacred places, often trees or boulders. They are also found on ''haraegushi'' / ''ōnusa'' / ''gohei'', wooden rods used in Shinto rituals. A ''gohei'' has two ''shide'', whereas the other types have more than that. Also, some ''gohei'' are handheld (like the other types), whereas other larger ones are stationary standing features of shrines.

A rope hung with ''shide'' represents a boundary between the sacred and profane. When hung from a wooden rod, they are used for purification.

Not to be confused with a Hataki (which is comparable to a Feather Duster) used for cleaning.

Also see [[Paper Talisman]].

{{examples}}
==  Anime and Manga ==
* Done in ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]]'', with the crew investigating the [[Big Fancy House]]'s attic. Boy, do they look cute in the [[Miko]] getups.
* In ''[[Bleach]]'', the giant naginata-thing that Soul Society tried to execute Rukia with had one of these on it. They also frequently appear in the background.
* Used liberally in ''[[Hell Teacher Nube]]'' to seal off [[Hell Gate|places]], [[Sealed Evil in a Can|objects]], or [[Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can|people]] possessed by [[Obake]] and [[Youkai]].
* In ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'', the ceremonial hoe used by Rika in the Cotton Drifting Festival is adorned with these.
* The ''goshinboku'' tree in ''[[Inuyasha]]'' has a ''shimenawa'' around it in the present, but not in the past.
** Also in ''[[Inuyasha]]'', some monkeys trick Inu Yasha into touching a small stone which sticks to his hand and becomes a huge boulder. It has a ''shimenawa'' around it.
** Barriers set by [[Miko]]s and monks will often be physically represented by a rope hung with ''shide.''
* In ''[[Kannagi]]'', Nagi has an ''ōnusa'' that resembles a [[Magical Girl]]'s wand. There's also a ''shide'' in the series logo, which has four segments, each of which has one of four hiragana characters from the title on it.
* The title page illustration for chapter 8 of ''[[Mahoromatic]]'' showed Mahoro dressed up as a ''[[Miko]]'', holding an ''ōnusa'' in one hand and exorcism sutras in the other. (This chapter is about searching for [[The Seven Mysteries|ghosts at school]].)
* In ''[[Ranma ½]]'', Happosai was trapped in a cave by a boulder with a ''shimenawa'' around it.
* An exorcist in chapter 12 of ''[[RIN-NE]]'' has an ''ōnusa''.
* The kind on a rod appear occasionally on ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' in the hands of Rei Hino (Sailor Mars) and her (unnamed) Grandfather during scenes at their Shrine. Rei is normally shown waving it in front of a a flame while doing fire readings, while her grandfather uses it during more comedic scenes.
* In ''[[Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki]]'', the entrance of the cave where Ryoko was trapped had a ''shimenawa'' hung from the walls which also encircled a large rock hanging from the ceiling.
* Sakura from ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' (a ''[[Miko]]'') sometimes uses an ''ōnusa''.
** Episode 47 featured a television crew that was recording a pseudo-documentary in the forest. They set up a ''shimenawa'' across the footpath to make it look more interesting.
* Used somewhat ineffectually by Himeko in the OVA version of ''[[Vampire Princess Miyu]]''.
* Used in ''[[Amatsuki]]'' by the shrine maidens and during the ceremony to summon Teiten.
* Kafuka from [[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei]] uses these to contain a [[Hikikomori]] in her room.
** Also during the [[Magical Girl]] spoof [http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8615/szsflvsnapshot000620101.jpg Kafuka uses an Onusa] as her weapon.
* Mikan from ''[[Rental Magica]]'' (a ''[[Miko]]'') uses one during purification rituals.

== Film ==
* Very large trees are surrounded with ''shimenawa'' in ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]''.
* In ''[[Spirited Away]]'', the individual bathing rooms are blocked with shinto ropes once they are cleaned and closed for the day.
* A rare American example; in ''[[Fantastic Four (film)|Fantastic Four; Rise of the Silver Surfer]]'', after their final battle with Doctor Doom in Tokyo, Reed and Sue opt to complete their previously interrupted wedding there. A number of Shide tassels are seen in the background during the ceremony.
* In ''[[Kill Bill]] Volume 1'', there are some ''shide'' hanging in the background in the scene where Hattori Hanzō has finished making the sword.


==  [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Many of the [[Karakuri]] monsters in the [[Yu-Gi-Oh!]] [[Trading Card Game]] have these attached to them.


== [[Video Games]] ==
* In ''[[Cave Story]]'', there's a boulder with a ''shimenawa'' around it which blocks an entrance to one area in the game. You must get [[Recurring Boss|Balrog]] to push it out of the way in order for you to continue.
* In ''[[KiKi KaiKai]]'' / ''Pocky and Rocky'', player character Sayo-chan / Pocky (a [[Miko]]) uses an ''ōnusa'' as a weapon.
* The sacred tree and its saplings in ''[[Ōkami|Okami]]'' and ''[[Ōkamiden|Okamiden]]'' can be identified by ''shimenawa''.
** In ''[[Ōkamiden|Okamiden]]'', Kagu uses these as [[Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs|adorable hair decorations]] once she becomes a [[Miko]].
* Shimenawa appear on floating rocks in the Sakura Palace in [[Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?]]'s sequel.
* Used often in ''[[Touhou]]'' , by being associated with four characters: Reimu's haragushi, Kanako's shimenawa, Sanae's haragushi, and on shimenawa wrapped around Tenshi's rocks. Reimu in the very first game (the one that wasn't a [[Bullet Hell]] shooter) used her haragushi to whack around her [[Ancestral Weapon]], the Hakurei Yin-Yang Orb.
* [[Samurai Shodown|Mizuki]] fights with a shimenawa in ''[[Samurai Shodown]]''. [[Implausible Fencing Powers|She can cut you in half with it.]]
* Enemy Lairs in ''[[Muramasa: The Demon Blade]]'' are marked with shimenawa. The rope breaks when you pass by, presumably so that they can be entered, but will repair itself after a short time.
* Another [[Miko]] character, Sayo Yuuki from ''[[Shikigami no Shiro]]'' is depicted carrying an ''ōnusa'' in her character portrait in the second game.
* In ''[[The King of Fighters]] '98'', whenever Chizuru Kagura fights one of the Orochi heralds, she shows up in [[Miko]] attire, swinging an ''ōnusa'' at them.
* In ''[[Persona 2]]'' you can buy ''ōnusa'' from convenience stores, which cure the [[Standard Status Effects|possession ailment]].
* These appear in barrier rope form in the [[Fatal Frame]] series. The horror comes from this: this form is generally meant to protect a shrine from defilement. The shrines in [[Fatal Frame]] are... different.

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Religion Tropes]]
[[Category:Useful Notes/Japan]]
[[Category:Shinto]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]