from fashion is poison

"In the bay, there are two rocks sitting side-by-side, one large, one smaller- known as Meoto-iwa (the Wedded Rocks). Two rocks are tied together by shimenawa, ceremonial rope that is made of entwined and twisted rice straw and is used to mark off sacred or purified areas, and you can often see it on the gates of shrines. One of these ropes is suspended between the rocks and serves as a torii, a type of gateway that demarcates the precincts of Futami Okutama Jinja."

wikipedia article on shimenawa (here). there's a cool picture of shimenawa in a temple on the cover of a smithsonian magazine that has been in my counselor's office for months. it's gorgeous.