Shimenawa (標縄・注連縄・七五三縄, 'enclosing rope') are lengths of laid rice straw or hemp[1] 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.[2]