In Shinto, a shimenawa is a sacred rope used to mark a purified or spiritually significant boundary.
Shimenawa are traditionally made from rice straw, though modern examples may use other materials. They can be hung across shrine entrances, around sacred trees, rocks, buildings, or other objects believed to host or attract kami. The rope signals that ordinary space ends and a consecrated area begins.
Zigzag paper strips called shide are often attached to a shimenawa, but shide are separate ritual objects rather than the rope itself. A shimenawa also differs from a torii: the torii is a gateway structure, while the rope is a boundary marker that can surround a natural feature without a formal gate.