Komo (rice) - Komo

Japanese: こも(薦) - こも

It is made of woven wild rice or straw and is used as a mat or covering material. In the past, it was woven from wild rice, but sedge, imperata reed, rush, cattail, and bamboo were also used, and now straw is the more common material. The custom of laying new straw on the altar dedicated to the spirits during the Bon Festival shows an ancient tradition, and it was once used as a mat for the large alcove in the palace, for great banquets, or as a mat for offerings in the sacred grounds of Shinto ceremonies or before the altar. It was customary for all mats used in Shinto ceremonies to be replaced with new ones each time, in honor of the importance of purity, but among the general public, straw is often regarded as something rather crude.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

マコモや藁（わら）を編んだもので，敷物や被覆材として用いる。古くはマコモで織ったがスゲやチガヤ，イ(藺)，ガマ(蒲)，竹なども用い，現在は藁が一般的である。盆の精霊棚に新薦（あらごも）を敷く風習は古代の遺風を示しており，かつては殿上の大床や，大饗（たいきよう）の敷物，あるいは神事の斎庭（ゆにわ）や神前への奉納物の敷物として用いられた。神事などの敷物はすべて清浄を尊んで毎回新しくするしきたりであったが，民間ではこもはむしろ粗末なものとして扱われることが多い。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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