Growing the sacred hemp

Hemp seeds are planted at the end of March and beginning of April. As the distance between the plants affects the quality of the fibre, they are always sown the same distance apart. After about four months – from mid-July to early August – harvesting is possible.

Once cut, the stalks are immediately submerged in boiling water for a few minutes, before drying again in the sun. Retting, a process in which the stalks are moistened so that the fibres and bark soften and are easier to process, then takes place in a special field.

This picture shows a Shinshoku with an onusa in his hands. Besides white strips of paper (shide), some hemp bark strips are attached to the ritual object. One particular use of hemp bark can be seen to this day at some Shinto festivals or ceremonies, where shinshoku (Shinto priests, of any gender) have a ribbon of hemp bark tied around their heads.