The humble Japanese noren

In Japan, you see norens “暖簾” almost everywhere- shops, residences, events, and even offices. At first glance, you might think it’s just for decoration, but that’s only part of its function.

Noren have an amazingly long history in Japanese culture. It first appeared during the Heian Period (794-1185) when the country's capital was located in modern-day Kyoto. Back then, norens served a simple purpose- to guard entrances against the weather.

You see, due to its unique design that usually span around 56.7 centimeters in length or ¾ of the length of the doorway, it not only block winds and dust and keep a house warmer on cold days, but also provide shade on hotter days.

It also offers privacy without having to entirely closing a space off with a door, which is not preferred in Japan as it is deemed to disrupt the “flow” of the house. A great example would be the tatami room- a multipurpose space found in traditional Japanese homes. This is a common place to hang a noren for privacy as it is commonly used for hosting guests. While other countries also have doorway curtains, they usually run the full length of the doorway and are not separated into two pieces for people to pass through easier.

As time passed, norens evolved to become a unique functional art form. In private homes, norens often displayed the “crest” of the family while Japanese shops and companies filled their norens with unique logos or eye-catching designs in different styles, sizes, and colors. If you have an artistic eye, you can even notice regional differences for different prefectures of Japan. For instance, norens in the Kansai region usually hides the bar at the top while in the Kanto region it is deliberately shown as part of the design.