のれん Noren Noren Curtain
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A Noren is a split curtain hung in the front of a shop doorway. It was initially used to create shade. Its use evolves with time and later it becomes an icon of the store, symbolizing its business credibility and rights of the store. The history of Noren dates back to the Nara period. Its first use for a store was recorded in the Heian period. In Kamakura period, it became a popular household accessory, and is commonly used in many houses besides stores. It was in the Edo period that design and drawing on a Noren became prevalent and Noren played a bigger role as a symbol of a store. Like what Katana sword was for samurai, Noren became a soul for merchants. At that time, people could recognize the kind of business of a store by a color of Noren. There are some general rules. For example, a white Noren is for a sweet shop, an indigo one is for a Kimono shop and liquor store, and an orange one is for a pharmacy.
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- Noren