Shimenawa is a traditional Shinto straw rope used to mark the presence of a sacred place such as a shrine, a tree or a rock. The largest shimenawa in Japan is at the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, measuring 13.5 meters in length and weighting 4.5 tons.

The rope is made by using rice straws harvested from a surface of 3 hectares. Because it is so large, it is replaced every 6 to 8 years, and not every year as on regular shrines.

Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine, Izumo, Shimane

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