English is below.

麻の歴史と精神性 麻は、日本の伝統文化や神事において神聖視され、古代から人々の精神性に深く関わってきました。特に、麻は清浄な植物とされ、悪を祓う力があると信じられていました。

では、なぜ、いろいろな種類の麻がある中でヘンプだけが精神性と深く結びついていたのでしょうか？

今回は、そのなぜを深く掘り下げていきます。

(English script)

1. Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my Podccast.
Today, I’d like to share with you the story of hemp—a plant that has been deeply connected to Japanese spiritual culture since ancient times.

In Japan, hemp has never been just a fiber or a crop.
It has been revered as a sacred plant, appearing in myths, rituals, and even in ceremonies of the Imperial household.
For centuries, hemp was believed to have the power to purify, to ward off evil, and to restore clarity.

2. Myths and Ancient Texts

In Japan’s oldest chronicles, the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), hemp is described as an essential part of sacred rituals performed by the gods.
It was believed that through hemp, impurities could be removed, and balance could be restored.

Some traditions say that when the god Izanagi returned from the land of the dead and performed a ritual purification, hemp symbolized renewal and cleansing.
We also find references in the Fudoki (ancient regional records) and even in the Manyoshu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry, where hemp is praised as a sacred and pure plant.

3. Why Hemp Was Seen as “Pure”

Why was hemp considered such a “pure” plant?

One reason lies in its vitality.
Hemp grows quickly, strongly, and straight—ancient people saw this as a symbol of life’s pure and untamed force.

Another reason is its versatility.
Its fibers became clothing, ropes, and ritual tools such as gohei or sacred paper wands used in Shinto shrines.
Its seeds provided food and nourishment.
Because hemp was so essential in every aspect of daily life, it came to embody blessing and purity.

Even today, Shinto priests use hemp fibers in purification rituals.
When they wave a wand wrapped with hemp, it is not only a symbolic act of banishing impurity, but also a way of releasing the hidden fears and anxieties within the human heart.

4. Connection to the Imperial Tradition

Hemp was also deeply connected to the Imperial family of Japan.
In the enthronement ceremony known as the Daijosai—the first great ritual after a new emperor ascends the throne—hemp cloth called aratatae is offered to the gods.

This hemp cloth represents the most sacred and pure offering, symbolizing the emperor’s prayer for peace and prosperity in a new era.
In this way, hemp served not only as a material, but as a spiritual support at the very heart of Japan’s national identity.

5. Conclusion

So we see, hemp was more than a useful plant.
It was a mirror of Japanese spirituality: a force that could ward off evil, restore purity, and sustain the spirit.

From daily life to the highest rituals of the nation, hemp has carried a quiet yet powerful role in shaping the way people connected with nature, with each other, and with the divine.

Thank you for joining me.

English is below.

サステナブルは“基本”となった今、
求められているのは「意味のある美しさ」と「目覚めた感性」。
本エピソードでは、素材としての「麻」に込められたレジスタンス（抵抗）と、
その先にある“再生”の可能性について語ります。

大量生産の時代を越えて、私たちは何を選び、何とつながって生きていくのか──
素材が静かに語りかけてくるメッセージに耳を澄ませてください。

Sustainability is now expected.
What’s needed next is meaningful beauty, and an awakened sensibility.
This episode explores hemp as resistance — a quiet yet powerful force guiding us toward spiritual and cultural reconnection.
Beyond being eco-friendly, hemp invites us to reimagine how we live, feel, and create.

(English script)-----

Hello, this is HIROMI KIM.
In this podcast, I explore the relationship between art, materials, and space from the perspective of an artist.
The theme of Episode 10 is: "Hemp as Resistance."

Why speak about hemp now?
Because we are standing at the threshold of a new era — one where we must face the question of value.

🔥 When “sustainable” becomes the baseline
Recently, a well-known American entrepreneur said this:

“From now on, environmental responsibility will be a given. But without refined aesthetics, a premium sensibility,
and even a touch of the sensual, you will not move people’s hearts.”

Sustainability, on its own, is not enough.
It must be wrapped in beauty.
We have entered an era where recycled materials and eco-packaging alone can no longer define the value of a brand.

🧵 Hemp has it all
Hemp is exactly the material we need today:
Its kindness in returning to the earth, its overwhelming vitality,
its functional beauty in breathability and durability.

But it’s more than that.
It holds a beauty that carries spirit —
an energy that speaks to both the physical and the soulful.

Hemp is not just a fiber.
It is a form of resistance —
a quiet yet powerful “NO” to mass production and overconsumption,
to lifeless spaces,
to the forgotten senses of the body.

🌱 Materials ask us questions
A material is not simply something to be used.
It is a question — one that shakes our senses, our memories, and our inner voice.

“What do you truly value in life?”
“What intention exists in this space?”
“Is it connected to life itself?”

Every time I touch hemp, I feel these questions rising within me.

🔔 To work with hemp, we must first awaken
Here lies the challenge:
Many of us have not yet awakened.

What’s needed is not a surface-level trend,
but a deep shift in consciousness.
To truly work with the spirit of hemp,
we need the sensitivity — and the responsibility — to face it fully.

As someone who creates in art, space, and design,
I want to receive hemp not just as a “material,” but as a message.

💫 Toward the next era — a quiet revolution led by materials
In the next era, meaningful beauty will be the measure of value.
Not just environmental care,
but the integration of mind and body,
culture and nature —
this is what will create new richness.

Hemp can be that bridge.
In fact, it always has been.

That is why I feel:
Hemp is resistance.
And it is renewal.

A quiet revolution, beginning with a material.
Now is the time to listen to its voice.

🧘‍♀️
If today’s episode has brought you even a small “realization” or “question”
as you think about art, design, or space-making,
I would be truly happy.

In the next episode, we will continue this journey into “materials and spirit.”
Please follow or subscribe so you don’t miss it.

Thank you for listening until the end.
This was HIROMI KIM.