Three different patterns featuring the staff and customers of the Studio Ghibli bathhouse of the gods.
The scene in Spirited Away in which protagonist Chihiro looks across the bridge to the spirit realm, with the Aburaya bathhouse towering in the middle distance and No-Face by the railing, is one of the most memorable shots in anime. The mix of grandiose and low-key imagery, the sense of being both otherworldly unsettling but also curiosity-piquing inviting, is a quick crystallization of much of the mood during the Hayao Miyazaki-directed classic, and if you’re looking to add that vibe to your home, here’s a way to do it.
Though one could call it a tapestry, Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku actually classifies this as a noren, the cloth hung in the open doorway of Japanese shops that are accepting visitors, and also sometimes found in old-school Japanese home interiors. The friendly-looking rendition of No-Face quickly catches the eye…
…and you could spend quite a lot of time getting lost in all the fine details of the bathhouse’s architecture, especially if you’re imagining how you’d make your escape if you’d gotten on the proprietress witch’s bad side.
There’s even another No-Face hiding on the tag on the reverse side of the cloth.
Ordinarily, noren have a single vertical slice in the center, so that you can push the cloth to the side like curtains as you walk though. Dnoguri Kyowakoku realizes, though, that some people might prefer to hang this against a wall, like shown in the promotional photos. Because of that, this noren, which measures 150 centimeters (59 inches) in length and 85 centimeters across, is sold uncut. There’s a seemingly imperceptible stitch in the middle, though, so that if you do want to use it like a traditional noren, you can cut it with scissors to make the slit whatever length you desire without the edges curling.
In addition to the No-Face on the bridge design, Donguri Kyowakoku also has a pattern featuring the divine customers of the bathhouse, plus the hiragana character “yu” (ゆ), meaning hot bathwater…
…and another with the bathhouse staff and No-Face, as well as the kanji character for “Abura” (油).
The patterned noren are identical in size to the No-Face bridge one, and they also all share a price of 3,278 yen (US$22). All three can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku here following a recent restock.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3)
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