Shide (Shinto)

Shide (紙垂, 四手) are zigzag-shaped paper streamers, often seen attached to shimenawa or tamagushi to demarcate holy spaces, and used in Shinto rituals in Japan.

The origins of shide are traced to the yūshide, a thread made from the bark of Broussonetia × kazinoki mentioned in the Kojiki.

One method requires placing the paper zigzags in a cut slit on a stick, creating a ritual object known as a gohei or heihaku.

[4] A common purification ritual uses a haraegushi, a wooden stick with linen or paper shide attached at the top.

[5] A Shinto priest waves the haraigushi over a person, item, or newly bought property, such as a building or a car.