The traditional Japanese New Year's entrance decoration made from pine, bamboo, and tied straw is called kadomatsu.
Kadomatsu are placed in pairs outside homes, businesses, and other buildings during the New Year season. Their name combines words meaning “gate” and “pine,” reflecting their role as decorations at an entrance. Designs commonly include pine branches, bamboo, and sometimes plum branches, all arranged in a bundle of bamboo or straw.
The decoration serves as a symbolic signpost for the toshigami, a New Year deity or spirit believed in traditional custom to visit households. Pine is associated with longevity because it stays green through winter, while bamboo suggests uprightness and resilience. Plum blossoms represent renewal and the arrival of spring in many decorative interpretations.
Kadomatsu is not the same as kagami mochi, another Japanese New Year object made from stacked rice cakes and displayed indoors. Nor is it identical to shimenawa, a sacred rope used to mark spiritually significant spaces. Regional styles and display periods vary, but the entrance decoration remains strongly associated with Japanese New Year.