Sekimori: The Guardian Stones of Japan

Atelier Ikiwa is proud to present for the first time in France the work of Eri, founder of the WARA brand, whose sekimori we present. Eri creates works uniting stone and natural fibers, which extend the ritual gestures of ancient Japan and invite, in our contemporary interiors, a silent contemplation. We invite you to discover its 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 one not to go any 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 the boundary without constraining, preserving the calm of a space by the mere presence of a sign.

The Sekimori-ishi is always linked to its braiding. Without this rope, knotted by hand according to a very ancient tradition, the stone loses its meaning. This rope recalls the shimenawa , the sacred ropes found in Shinto shrines, demarcating the places inhabited by the divine. Through it, the stone becomes a spiritual threshold, a point of attention in the landscape.

A tradition born from tea gardens

The history of Sekimori-ishi dates back to the 16th century, to the time of Sen no Rikyū, founding master of the tea ceremony. In the gardens leading to the pavilion, called roji (“dew path”), visitors walk on stepping stones, the tobi-ishi , amidst moss and silence. At certain junctions, a stone wrapped in a carefully braided rope is placed across the path: this is the Sekimori-ishi , “guarding stone.” It suggests the boundary of a space to be preserved, gently, wordlessly, and without constraint.

The Tome-ishi , "stopping stone", with its simple rope sometimes tied in a cross, is its close relative. Used mainly in temples or certain passageways, it indicates a closed or reserved space, always with the same Japanese restraint which prefers the sign to the panel.

Their difference lies in the intention (one interrupts, the other preserves), but in reality these two stones translate the same philosophy: that of the conscious limit, of the passage between one space and another, between the movement of the world and inner tranquility.

A meeting in Kyoto

A personal anecdote: the first time I came across one of these stones, a Tome-ishi in this case, I remember very well, it was in front of the sublime Silver Pavilion in Kyoto, at a time when you could still get very close to it. The year 2000 arrived, 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 amazed 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 understood later what it was for, but at the time it seemed to me to be an absolutely sacred stone, placed there to guide me towards a spiritual path that I did not understand but which seemed extremely important to me, in this place which already contained a whole world.

WARA: Weaving the Threshold in the Contemporary World

It is in the heritage of sekimori stones and this art of the threshold that the work of Eri, founder of the WARA brand, is inscribed, whom I met during my last trip to Japan. Touched by the meditative sensation of contact with rice straw, Eri began in 2020 to braid ropes inspired by shimenawa , these sacred ropes which adorn Shinto shrines and symbolize the border between the sacred domain and ordinary space.

Each Sekimori that Eri creates repeats this ancestral gesture: around a stone carefully chosen on the beaches of the coasts of Shizuoka Prefecture, where she lives, she hand-weaves a rope of straw ( wara ) or purified hemp ( seima ). There are several ways to knot the rope, but it must be long enough to form a sort of handle. The braiding, executed slowly, 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.

Ise Jingū Shrine: The Heart of 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 Meoto Iwa rocks, located nearby. These two places embody purity and the link between the visible and invisible worlds. The Ise shrine, recognizable by its light-colored wooden buildings, evokes sobriety and the perpetual regeneration of the sacred. The Meoto Iwa rocks, connected by a sacred rope ( shimenawa ) woven from rice straw, symbolize the union and continuity of the forces of nature.

Purified hemp ( seima , hemp cleansed of all spiritual impurities), used in the most solemn rites, represents clarity and inner strength. Rice straw, softer, evokes the warmth of everyday life and the rhythm of the seasons. It is in this spirit that Eri creates her braids, seeking the same harmony between tension and calm, 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, stones for living

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 that are given between things. Yohaku (余白) is the beauty of space left free, the white that reveals presence. In her Sekimori , stone and rope create this active interval and space, so that the gaze can rest and the mind can find a center. These concepts, which can be found in Japanese painting, calligraphy, and architecture, form the invisible framework of her work.

Placed in a cherished space, Sekimori WARA create a breathing space, an inner threshold where the mind can refocus. By placing them in the peaceful margins of daily life, they naturally find their place and accompany with calm.

Installing a Sekimori in a clean space allows one to experience the Zen philosophy of yohaku (余白), the beauty of emptiness that creates balance. They provide a setting to soothe the mind and savor 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 alleviate the tensions of a space.

Each stone is unique, chosen for its shape and presence, each rope hand-woven according to a know-how inherited from the shimenawa . Their meeting forms a subtle balance between matter and silence, nature and consciousness.

WARA sekimori are available for the first time in France in the Atelier Ikiwa e-shop.