{{Short description|Traditional Japanese fabric dividers}} {{Other uses|Noren (surname)}} {{Italic title}} [[File:Fabric shop in Nara.jpg|thumb|Traditional fabric shop in Nara with {{Transliteration|ja|noren}} in front of the entrance]]
{{Nihongo||暖簾|'''Noren'''}} are traditional Japanese fabric dividers hung between rooms, on walls, in doorways, or in windows. They usually have one or more vertical slits cut from the bottom to nearly the top of the fabric, allowing for easier passage or viewing. {{Transliteration|ja|Noren}} are rectangular and come in many different materials, sizes, colours, and patterns.
== History == The ''noren'' originated in China, where it was known as the ''nuǎnlián'' ({{lang-zh|t=暖簾|p=|s=暖帘|l=warm curtain}}).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=暖簾（のれん）の発祥地と歴史【オーダーのれんの専門店】 |url=https://www.xn--ncke3d3fqb.com/noren/original/trivia/origin.html |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.xn--ncke3d3fqb.com}}</ref> Japanese people originally used miscanthus, reeds, rice straw, or bamboo as barriers to the entrances of houses. Using fabric curtains as dividers was an idea imported from China around the same time as Zen Buddhism.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-09 |title=のれんの豆知識 {{!}} のれん工房 サイズオーダー館 |url=https://sizeorder-noren.com/about/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=ja}}</ref> ''Noren'' were introduced to Japan during the late Heian period, and the term ''noren'' first appeared in the late Kamakura period. Zen Buddhism had arrived in Japan as early as the Asuka period, but was not firmly established until the Kamakura. Merchants in the Edo period added store names or family crests to the ''noren'' to represent the business name or trademark, making the ''noren'' a symbol of credibility and reputation.<ref name=":0" />
<gallery widths="200" heights="200"> File:JapanHomes166 SLASHED CURTAIN.jpg|{{Transliteration|ja|Noren}} displaying characteristic cuts at intervals, leaving a series of long flaps. This curtain is not readily swayed by the wind, and can easily be passed through as one enters the room. File:Noren at a sento by udono in Yoyogi, Tokyo.jpg|{{Transliteration|ja|Noren}} with the {{lang|ja|ゆ}} character at the entrance to a ''sentō'' File:ストリングのれん (87772348).jpg|{{Transliteration|ja|Nawa-noren}} (cord {{Transliteration|ja|noren}}) </gallery>
== Homes == {{Transliteration|ja|Noren}} were originally used to protect a house from wind, dust, and rain, as well as to keep a house warm on cold days and to provide shade on hot summer days.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Japanese Encyclopedia: Noren |url=https://matcha-jp.com/en/1933 |work=MATCHA - JAPAN TRAVEL WEB MAGAZINE |access-date=2017-03-18|language=ja-JP}}</ref> They can also be used for decorative purposes or for dividing a room into two separate spaces.
== Businesses == Exterior {{Transliteration|ja|noren}} are traditionally used by shops and restaurants as a means of protection from sun, wind, and dust, and for displaying a shop's name or logo.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Donoghue |first1=J. J. |title=Curtain call: Examining the evolution of Japan's humble 'noren' |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/01/14/style/curtain-call-examining-evolution-japans-humble-noren/ |access-date=2019-02-04 |work=The Japan Times Online |date=2017-01-14}}</ref> Names are often Japanese characters, especially kanji, but may be {{Transliteration|ja|mon}} emblems, Japanese rebus monograms, or abstract designs. {{Transliteration|ja|Noren}} designs are generally traditional to complement their association with traditional establishments, but modern designs also exist. Interior {{Transliteration|ja|noren}} are often used to separate dining areas from kitchens or other preparation areas, which also prevents smoke or smells from escaping.
Because a {{Transliteration|ja|noren}} often features the shop name or logo, the word in Japanese may also refer to a company's brand value. Most notably, in Japanese accounting, the word {{Transliteration|ja|noren}} is used to describe the goodwill of a company after an acquisition.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Noriyuki |first1=Yanagawa |title=Young Japanese Firms Quick to Adopt International Accounting Standards |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00152/young-japanese-firms-quick-to-adopt-international-accounting-standards.html |access-date=2019-02-04 |work=nippon.com |publisher=Nippon Communications Foundation |date=2015-08-10 |language=en}}</ref>
{{Transliteration|ja|Sentō}} (commercial bathhouses) also place {{Transliteration|ja|noren}} across their entrances with the kanji {{nihongo3|lit. "hot water"|湯|yu}} or the corresponding hiragana {{lang|ja|ゆ}}, typically blue in color for men and red for women.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shobu |first1=Johana |title=6 Japanese Onsen Etiquette Tips Every Traveler Should Know |url=https://www.theloophk.com/asia-travel-guide-japanese-onsen-etiquette-tips-every-traveler-should-know/ |access-date=2019-02-04 |work=The Loop HK |date=2016-05-04}}</ref> They are also hung in the front entrance to a shop to signify that the establishment is open for business, and they are always taken down at the end of the business day.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=CC |title=Empire of Signages |url=http://www.thesitemagazine.com/read/empire-of-signages |access-date=2019-02-04 |work=The Site Magazine |date=2017-05-06}}</ref>
== See also == * Curtain * {{Transliteration|ja|Kichō}} * Portière (insulating door curtain) * {{Transliteration|ja|Sudare}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category}}
{{Japanese architectural elements}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Furnishings Category:Japanese words and phrases Category:Partitions in traditional Japanese architecture Category:Textiles Category:Windows
{{Textile-arts-stub}} {{Japan-art-stub}}