At Hikone Castle, a national treasure in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, the popular character "Hikonyan" also participated in the making of shimenawa for the New Year.
Every year at Hikone Castle, we make shimenawa made from glutinous rice straw, which we received from a local farmer, and decorate it inside the castle.
On the 3rd, 11 staff members of the center that manages the castle made shimenawa to decorate the castle yagura, and the popular character "Hikonyan" from Hikone City also participated.
Hikonyan and the staff joined forces with a shout to twist the straw and bundle it with a wire to complete a shimenawa that was 6 meters long and weighed 50 kilograms.
Hikonyan also expressed his joy by ringing a bell hanging around his neck and clapping his hands to see how good the finish was.
Toshiaki Miyagawa, director of the Hikone Castle Operation and Management Center, said, "Hikonyan tightened the rope tightly and made a good one. This was because of the new coronavirus, so many people could not come. However, I'm looking forward to seeing you again next year with Hikonyan, so I want many people to visit. "
Eight large and small shimenawa of Hikone Castle are made and will be displayed on the castle tower, yagura, museums, etc. on December 24th.