{"id":84655,"date":"2021-10-29T18:24:32","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T09:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=84655"},"modified":"2021-10-29T18:24:35","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T09:24:35","slug":"noren-traditional-japanese-curtain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/noren-traditional-japanese-curtain\/","title":{"rendered":"Noren: The Traditions of this Japanese Curtain and Where to Find Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you have ever been to Japan, you may have noticed short curtains hanging at the entrance of shops and restaurants. These are noren<\/em> (\u6696\u7c3e), traditional Japanese fabric dividers that are used as indoor and outdoor curtain decorations. They are part of the scenery of Japanese streets and everyday life. You can see them in many colors and styles all around Japan. Let’s learn together the history and some facts about noren<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s a Japanese Noren<\/em>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A noren<\/em> is a short curtain that often hangs in the entrance of shops and restaurants as a signboard. The fabric is divided into two or several pieces so customers can pass through easily. Indeed, we can see it on some of Heian’s period drawings (794-1192). In the past, it was used as an entry curtain to protect Japanese houses against the climate, such as the cold, sun, wind, and dust.<\/strong> In private homes, noren<\/em> often displayed the shield or “crest” of the family owners. Nowadays, it’s mostly a decoration with a variety of styles, sizes, colors, and materials. If we look closely, we can see some regional differences that date back to the time when Kyoto was the capital of Japan. For example, the Kansai region normally hides the bar holding these curtains, whereas we can still see it in the Kanto region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Noren\u00a0of
This noren<\/em> at this soba buckwheat noodle restaurant<\/a> reveal the hanging bar. | \u00a9 Cl\u00e9mentine Cintr\u00e9
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Different Sizes and Uses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Typically, there are four different model sizes of noren<\/em> depending on its use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, the mizuhiki noren<\/em><\/strong>, which is very short, is only used as a decoration and is unrelated to the shop type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, the hiyoke-noren<\/strong><\/em> is between 1.6 and 3 meters long and serves as a signboard and a sun protector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, the han-noren<\/strong><\/em> (“han<\/em>” means half) is 56.7 centimeters long and is the most used size. Its purpose is to allow easy access to the shop and reveal a bit of the shop interior to passersby. We can see it at the entrance of a sento<\/em> public bath, cake shop, sushi restaurant, soba, or ramen shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A han-noren<\/em> (left) indicates the shopfront entrance and a hiyoke-noren<\/em> (right) serves as a shop signboard.
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The last one is the naga-noren<\/strong><\/em> (“nagai<\/em>” means long) which is 1.6 meters long and its purpose is to hide what there are behind and to cut the sunlight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Noren\u00a0of
A naga-noren <\/em>of a shopfront in Omihachiman, Shiga prefecture de Shiga |  \u00a9 Cl\u00e9mentine Cintr\u00e9<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Traditional Meanings Behind Its Colors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Colors have always had different meanings between countries and cultures, and in the same way, noren <\/em>traditionally <\/em>had a color code too. Blue indigo was used in restaurants and clothes shops<\/strong> because ai-zome <\/em>indigo dying<\/a> is well-known to be a natural repulsive for insects. Red<\/strong> used to appear in Hanamachi (\u82b1\u8857<\/a>),<\/em> meaning “flower quarters,”<\/a> and acted as signposts to the geisha neighborhood<\/strong>. White<\/strong> was used for grocery’s, drugstores, and candy shops <\/strong>to match the color of white sugar. Brown orange <\/strong>was used for tobacco, flowers shops, and drugstores as well<\/strong>.
Nowadays, the different colors are no longer relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Can I See Japanese Noren?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everyday life provides lots of opportunities to see noren<\/em> in Japan. It pops up around shops and restaurants during their opening times and often displays<\/strong> the business name and even an image of what they sell there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This tea shop in Kobe, Kansai, serves matcha soba noodles. Look at kanji for tea (\u8336) and its clever incorporation of tea leaf designs into its character design! <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A public bathhouse called sento have an easily identifiable noren<\/em> because it displays the Japanese hiragana character, \u3086 (‘yu’), meaning “hot water.”<\/strong> Inside, there are additional curtains that display the segregated women’s (\u5973) and men’s (\u7537) baths. Sentos <\/em>usually displays seasonal designs <\/em>that change throughout the year. You may also see this type of noren<\/em> in hotels to indicate baths and hot spring entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n