Sekimori: The Guardian Stones of Japan
Atelier Ikiwa is proud to be the first in France to present the work of Eri, founder of the WARA brand, for which we are showcasing a series of sekimori. Eri creates pieces that unite stone and natural fibers, extending the ritual gestures of ancient Japan and inviting silent contemplation into our contemporary interiors. We invite you to discover their genesis.
The Art of the Threshold
In Japanese gardens, certain stones, surrounded by carefully braided rope, seem to guard the passage. Neither barrier nor obstacle, they simply invite you not to go further. These stones, called Sekimori-ishi (関守石) or Tome-ishi (止石), belong to one of the most subtle gestures of Japanese culture: marking a boundary without constraining, preserving the calm of a space through the mere presence of a sign.
The Sekimori-ishi is always linked to its braiding. Without this rope, hand-tied according to a very ancient tradition, the stone loses its meaning. This rope recalls the shimenawa, the sacred ropes found in Shintō shrines, delineating places inhabited by the divine. Through it, the stone becomes a spiritual threshold, a focal point in the landscape.
A Tradition Born from Tea Gardens
The history of the Sekimori-ishi dates back to the 16th century, to the time of Sen no Rikyū, the founding master of the tea ceremony. In the gardens leading to the pavilion, called roji ("dewy path"), visitors walk on stepping stones, tobi-ishi, amidst moss and silence. At certain forks, a stone surrounded by a carefully braided rope is placed across the path: this is the Sekimori-ishi, "guarding stone." It gently suggests the boundary of a space to be preserved, without words or constraint.
The Tome-ishi, "stopping stone," with its simple rope sometimes tied in a cross, is its close relative. Used more in temples or certain passage areas, it indicates a closed or reserved space, always with that same Japanese restraint that prefers a sign to a notice board.
Their difference lies in their intention (one interrupts, the other preserves), but in reality, both stones embody the same philosophy: that of the conscious boundary, of the passage between one space and another, between the movement of the world and inner tranquility.
An Encounter in Kyoto
A personal anecdote: the first time I encountered one of these stones, a Tome-ishi in this case, I remember it very well, it was in front of Kyoto's sublime Silver Pavilion, back when one could still get very close to it. The year 2000 was approaching, the garden was almost deserted, it was February, it was my first trip to Japan, and by the greatest of coincidences, Meryl Streep was also there, right next to me, in stunned contemplation. A motionless moment, like a communion, and this mysterious stone placed on a small bridge in front of the pond in which the Ginkakuji was reflected. I later understood its purpose, but at the time it seemed to me to be an absolutely sacred stone, placed there to guide towards a spiritual path that I didn't understand but which appeared to me to be extremely important, in this place that already contained a whole world.
WARA: Weaving the Threshold in the Contemporary World
It is within the legacy of sekimori stones and this art of the threshold that the work of Eri, founder of the WARA brand, which I met during my last trip to Japan, is situated. Touched by the meditative sensation of contact with rice straw, Eri began in 2020 to braid ropes inspired by shimenawa, these sacred ropes that adorn Shintō shrines and symbolize the boundary between the sacred realm and ordinary space.
Each Sekimori that Eri creates revives this ancestral gesture: around a stone meticulously chosen on the beaches of Shizuoka Prefecture, where she resides, she hand-braids a rope of straw (wara) or purified hemp (seima). There are several ways to tie the rope, but it must be long enough to form a kind of handle. The braiding, slowly executed in the same direction as the shimenawa, gives the stone an almost spiritual tension. Eri creates scenographies and intentions that transpose ancient culture into the contemporary world.
The Ise Jingū Shrine: The Heart of the Sacred Gesture
Through her work, Eri echoes the spirit of Ise Jingū, the spiritual heart of Japan, dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu, as well as the sacred rocks Meoto Iwa, located not far away. These two places embody purity and the link between the visible and invisible worlds. The Ise shrine, recognizable by its light wooden structures, evokes sobriety and the perpetual regeneration of the sacred. The Meoto Iwa rocks, connected by a sacred rope (shimenawa) braided from rice straw, symbolize union and the continuity of nature's forces.
Purified hemp (seima, hemp cleansed of all spiritual impurities), used in the most solemn rituals, represents clarity and inner strength. Rice straw, softer, evokes the warmth of daily life and the rhythm of the seasons. It is in this spirit that Eri creates her braids, seeking the same harmony between tension and appeasement, between strength and silence. Her Sekimori, fashioned from purified hemp or rice straw, perpetuate this ancestral gesture of respect and awareness of space.
The Sekimori, Living Stones
Eri's work is rooted in two essential notions of Japanese aesthetics. Ma (間) refers to the interval that allows forms to breathe, the space and time given between things. Yohaku (余白) is the beauty of the free space, the white that reveals presence. In her Sekimori, the stone and the rope create this active interval and space, so that the gaze can rest and the mind can find its center. These concepts, found in Japanese painting, calligraphy, and architecture, form the invisible framework of her work.
Placed in a cherished space, WARA Sekimori create a breathing space, an inner threshold where the mind can recenter itself. By placing them in the peaceful margins of daily life, they naturally find their place and provide calm companionship.
Installing a Sekimori in a minimalist space allows one to experience the Zen philosophy of yohaku (余白), the beauty of emptiness that creates balance. They offer a framework for calming the mind and savoring the slowness of a quiet moment. Today, these stones naturally find their place in contemporary interiors, on a table, a shelf, in the center of a room or on a desk, where they lighten the tensions of a place.
Each stone is unique, chosen for its shape and presence, each rope hand-braided according to a know-how inherited from the shimenawa. Their encounter forms a subtle balance between matter and silence, nature and consciousness.
WARA sekimori are to be discovered for the first time in France in Atelier Ikiwa's e-shop.
© Atelier Ikiwa – Laurence Corteggiani. Photographs and texts protected. All reproduction prohibited without authorization.
