Sekimori #10, stone and purified hemp rope (seima)
The sekimori-ishi, or guardian stone, finds its origins in the Japanese tea gardens of the era of Sen no Rikyū, the founding master of the tea ceremony, in the 16th century. Placed at the entrance to a space, it invites one to pause one's steps and respect the boundary it indicates. This sekimori by Eri (WARA), with its polished stone and purified hemp (seima) rope, embodies ma (interval) and yohaku (the beauty of emptiness), two essential concepts of Japanese aesthetics evoking the space between things, the silence that gives meaning to presence. In a place that one cherishes, this stone becomes a landmark of calm, a breath in daily life.
The Artist
Eri lives and works in Shizuoka Prefecture. In 2020, touched by the meditative dimension of working with rice straw, she began braiding ropes inspired by shimenawa—the sacred ropes of Shinto shrines that mark the boundary between the sacred and the ordinary—and founded her brand, WARA. Her work explores the connection between material, ritual, and interiority, in an approach where every gesture becomes an act of consciousness. Through the braiding of shimenawa and the creation of sekimori, she weaves a dialogue between past and present, extending an aesthetic of ma and yohaku, where beauty is born from silence, emptiness, and the precision of the gesture.
Technique and Decoration
The stone, chosen by Eri on the Shizuoka coast, was selected for the balance of its shape and the smoothness of its surface, naturally polished by the sea. It is surrounded by a rope of seima (purified hemp), braided entirely by hand using the same technique as the shimenawa of Shinto shrines. The seima, obtained from carefully cleaned and combed hemp bark, reveals fine, lustrous fibers that have been reserved since antiquity for the most solemn Shinto rituals. Its silky texture and light hue give the stone a presence of great elegance, at once tense and serene. This sekimori is a unique piece, the stone having been chosen for its singularity and the braiding bearing the mark of the artist's hand.
Practical Information
Place of creation: Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Size: Medium (see image with hand for scale)
Dimensions (including rope): Length 11 cm - Width 7.5 cm - Height 6.5 cm
Weight (without the box): 258 g
Materials: natural stone, seima rope (purified hemp)
Period: contemporary
This Sekimori is presented in a protective paulownia wood box, the lid of which can serve as a display base, accompanied by a booklet in Japanese describing the artist's intention (a translation of which will be provided).
© Atelier Ikiwa – Laurence Corteggiani. Photos and texts protected. All reproduction prohibited without permission.
Origin and symbolism
The sekimori-ishi, or tome-ishi, is a stone in Japanese gardens surrounded by a braided rope that invites one to go no further. Neither barrier nor obstacle, it marks the boundary of a space to be preserved. This highly subtle gesture extends the tradition of shimenawa, sacred Shinto ropes demarcating places inhabited by the divine: the stone thus becomes a spiritual threshold, a point of attention in the landscape.
The use of sekimori-ishi dates back to the 16th century, during the time of Sen no Rikyū, in tea gardens called roji ("dew path"). Placed at certain junctions, the stone surrounded by a braided rope gently and restrainedly indicated the boundary of an area not to be crossed. The tome-ishi, its close relative, was used in temples to indicate a closed or reserved area.
These stones express the Japanese philosophy of the threshold: marking the limit without constraining, preserving the tranquility of a place by the mere presence of a sign. If you would like to know more about sekimori and the work of Eri / WARA, you can read our dedicated article > .
DELIVERY
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Returns and exchanges
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CARE INSTRUCTIONS
Sekimori stone: Remove dust with a very soft cloth to avoid scratches. Always handle the stone by the stone and not by the rope, never pull on the knot, let it air dry if the rope is wet. For hemp models, the fibers can sometimes shift: simply realign them by gently rolling the rope between your fingers to realign them.
Paulownia wood box: Avoid contact with water. Since the box is unvarnished, it will stain if wet. Do not store it in a hot or humid place. Sudden temperature changes may cause the wood to discolor to brown tones. Store it in stable conditions.
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WRAPPING
Exceptional items are wrapped in textiles tied according to the Korean pojagi art