Shide (Paper Streamers)

Shide are strips of white paper (or sometimes cloth) folded in a distinctive zigzag pattern that are a ubiquitous feature of Shinto sacred objects. They are most commonly seen hanging from shimenawa ropes, but also adorn tamagushi (ritual sakaki branches) and haraegushi (purification wands) used by priests.

The zigzag folding of shide follows specific traditional methods, and the number and direction of folds can vary by shrine or tradition. The white color of the paper symbolizes purity. When shide flutter in the wind along a shimenawa, they reinforce the sense that a space is set apart as sacred. Some scholars connect the waving of shide to ancient rain-calling rituals, as the dangling strips may have been intended to evoke falling rain or lightning.

Shide appear in one of the most important Shinto myths: they were among the items used to lure Amaterasu out of the cave. In everyday practice, shide are frequently renewed — their crisp white appearance is part of their spiritual function, representing freshness and purity.