The Japanese people have worshipped the gods of nature itself since ancient times. Sacred straw ropes were first hung in devout respect at holy places such as waterfalls and mighty rocks. Then, as time went on, they came to be strung between two poles instead, and some say that was the origin of the shrine gates, called torii, we see all over Japan today. We look into the surprising roots and roles of the torii and observe their extraordinary beauty.
