also: かみしで
Shinto paper streamer; zigzag paper strip
A ritual paper decoration used in Shinto contexts, often attached to sacred ropes (shimenawa) or ritual wands. Typically white or colored paper folded in a zigzag pattern.
Shide are hanging from the sacred rope at the shrine.
hornbeam (tree)
Only when written 四手 / 垂 / 椣
A deciduous tree in the birch family, genus Carpinus. The name しで is also used for several species native to Japan. The kanji 四手 and 垂 are used for this sense, but 椣 is the specific botanical kanji.
Many hornbeam trees grow on this mountain.
神主が紙垂を新しく作り替えた。
The Shinto priest replaced the paper streamers with new ones.
Hornbeam wood is sometimes used for furniture.
Standard kanji spelling for the Shinto paper streamer; also used for the hornbeam tree.
Alternate kanji for both senses; rare and easily confused with other readings.
Explicitly includes the 'paper' radical; can also be read かみしで.
Alternate reading emphasizing 'paper'; less common than しで.
Rare spelling combining 紙 and 四手.
Specific kanji for the hornbeam tree; rarely used.
The origin of しで is uncertain. The kanji 四手 literally means 'four hands', possibly referring to the shape of the streamers. The reading かみしで is a compound of 紙 (paper) and しで.