Besides the
torii gates, one of the most recognizable shapes of the Shinto religion is the zigzag shaped paper streamer called
shide. Most often, they can be seen tied to a braided rice straw rope (
shimenawa) or to a thin piece of wood, a ritual wand. In all the cases,
shide is meant to purify and to repel evil spirits.
Speaking of ritual wands, I presented some time ago the
Ōnusa wand. Another common type of Shinto wand is
Gohei, the wand with two golden
shide that can be seen in today's photo.
Onusa, Jishu Shrine, Kyoto EXIF info:
Nikon D90
Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 22mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/40s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200