Japanese architecture has been typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors (''fusuma'') and other traditional partitions were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space to ...

, are vertical rectangular panels which can slide from side to side to redefine spaces within a room, or act as doors. They typically measure about wide by tall, the same size as a ''

tatami A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatamis are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 m by 1.8 m depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are the floor used for traini ...

'' mat, and are thick. The heights of ''fusuma'' have increased in recent years due to an increase in average height of the Japanese population, and a height is now common. In older constructions, they are as small as high. They consist of a

lattice Lattice may refer to: Arts and design * Latticework, an ornamental criss-crossed framework, an arrangement of crossing laths or other thin strips of material * Lattice (music), an organized grid model of pitch ratios * Lattice (pastry), an orna ...

-like wooden understructure covered in cardboard and a layer of paper or cloth on both sides. They typically have a black

lacquer Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. Asian lacquerware, which may be ca ...

border and a round finger catch. Historically, ''fusuma'' were painted, often with scenes from nature such as mountains, forests or animals. Today, many feature plain

mulberry paper The paper mulberry (''Broussonetia papyrifera'', synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Morus papyrifera'' L.) is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to Asia,fans, autumn leaves,

cherry blossom A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...

, trees, or geometric graphics. Patterns for children featuring popular characters can also be purchased. Both ''fusuma'' and ''

shōji A is a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame. Where light transmission is not needed, the similar but opaque ''fusuma'' is used (oshiire/ ...

'' are

room dividers A room divider is a screen or piece of furniture placed in a way that divides a room into separate areas. Room dividers are used by interior designers and architects as means to divide space into separate distinct areas. There are a number of ...

that run on wooden rails at the top and bottom. The upper rail is called a , and the lower is called a . Traditionally these were waxed, but nowadays they usually have a vinyl lubricating strip to ease movement of the ''fusuma'' and ''shōji''. Fusuma are typically made of opaque cloth or paper, while shōji are made of sheer, translucent paper. Along with the ''fusuma'', ''shōji'' and ''tatami'' straw mats (as the floor) make up a typical Japanese room.

References

External links

*
English site explaining all about fusuma, with diagrams and photosMomoyama, Japanese Art in the Age of Grandeur
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on fusuma Japanese architectural features Japanese architectural styles Japanese home Types of wall Doors Partitions in traditional Japanese architecture {{Japan-struct-stub

See also

References

External links