![Fukiya katayama house03s3200](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Fukiya_katayama_house03s3200.jpg)
A is a door, window or room divider used in traditional
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 ...
, consisting of
translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame. Where light transmission is not needed, the similar but opaque ''
fusuma
In Japanese architecture, 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'' mat, and are thick. The ...
'' is used
(oshiire/closet doors, for instance). Shoji usually slide, but may occasionally be hung or hinged, especially in more rustic styles.
Shoji are very lightweight, so they are easily slid aside, or taken off their tracks and stored in a closet, opening the room to other rooms or the outside.
[''Sukiya Living Magazine'' article about shoji screens]
/ref> Fully traditional buildings may have only one large room, under a roof supported by a post-and-lintel
In architecture, post and lintel (also called prop and lintel or a trabeated system) is a building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by strong vertical elements with large spaces between them. This is usually used to hold up ...
frame, with few or no permanent interior or exterior walls; the space is flexibly subdivided as needed by the removable sliding wall panels.[ The posts are generally placed one '']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 ...
''-length (about 2 m or 6 ft) apart, and the shoji slide in two parallel wood-groove tracks between them. In modern construction, the shoji often do not form the exterior surface of the building; they sit inside a sliding glass door or window.[
Shoji are valued for not setting a sharp barrier between the interior and the exterior; outside influences such as the swaying silhouettes of trees, or the chorus of frogs, can be appreciated from inside the house.][ As exterior walls, shoji ]diffuse
Diffusion is the net movement of anything (for example, atoms, ions, molecules, energy) generally from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Diffusion is driven by a gradient in Gibbs free energy or chemical p ...
sunlight into the house; as interior partitions between rooms, they allow natural light deep into the interior. While shoji block wind, they do allow air to diffuse through,[ important when buildings were heated with ]charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
.[ Like curtains, shoji give visual privacy,][ but they do not block sounds.] Shoji are also thought to encourage a home's inhabitants to speak and move softly, calmly, and gracefully, an important part of the ethos behind ''sukiya-zukuri
is one type of Japanese residential architectural style. ''Suki'' means refined, well cultivated taste and delight in elegant pursuits and refers to enjoyment of the exquisitely performed tea ceremony.
The word originally denoted a building in ...
'' architecture. Sliding doors cannot traditionally be locked.
Shoji rose in popularity as an integral element of the ''shoin-zukuri
is a style of Japanese residential architecture used in the mansions of the military, temple guest halls, and Zen abbot's quarters of the Muromachi (1336-1573), Azuchi–Momoyama (1568–1600) and Edo periods (1600–1868). It forms the basis ...
'' style, which developed in the Kamakura Period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...
(1123–1333), as loss of income forced aristocrats into more modest and restrained architecture. This style was simplified in teahouse
A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...
-influenced ''sukiya-zukuri'' architecture, and spread to the homes of commoners in the Edo Period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
(1603–1868), since which shoji have been largely unchanged. Shoji are used in both traditional-style Japanese houses and in Western-style housing, especially in the ''washitsu
A , meaning "Japanese-style room(s)", and frequently called a "tatami room" in English, is a Japanese room with traditional tatami flooring. also usually have sliding doors (), rather than hinged doors between rooms. They may have and, if the ...
'' (traditional Japanese-style room).[ The traditional wood-and-paper construction is highly flammable.][
]
Construction
Frame
The shoji frame is a panel called a . It is assembled from interlocking laths of wood or bamboo called ''kumiko
Kumiko (くみこ, クミコ) is a feminine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Kumiko can be written using different kanji and can mean:
*久美子, "forever, beauty, child"
*空見子, "sky, see, child"
*公美子, "public, beauty, child"
* ...
''. "" literally means "woven"; the halved joints alternate in direction so that the laths are interwoven. The interweaving is structural, and the paper (which is tensioned by spraying it with water[) further strengthens the finished panel.][ Frames can easily be broken by stepping on them when they are dismounted and stripped for re-papering.] No fasteners are traditionally used to hold the frame together. Rice glue
Rice glue ( ja, 続飯, ) is a gel or liquid adhesive made of a smooth mush of well-cooked white rice, diluted to the desired thickness with water. It has been used since antiquity for various arts and crafts; for instance, it is a woodworking and ...
can also be used in the frame joints.
Coniferous wood is preferred for its fine, straight grain. Shoji with ''kōshi'' made of split bamboo are called ''take-shōji'' (). ''Kōshi'' are sometimes made of aluminium, shaped to resemble wood.
Most shoji lattices are rectangular. However, about 200 traditional patterns are used; each has a symbolism, associated with the natural pattern it stylistically represents. Patterns may also be combined. While these are traditionally used for shoji, they are increasingly used for other woodwork items, in and outside Japan. Patterns can be classified according to ''jigumi'', the foundational grid; this may be square, diamond-shaped, or hexagonal.[ Rectangular shoji may skew, in which case bent springs of bamboo are inserted into the short diagonal to push them back square. There can be substantial artistry in frame design.]
The ''kumiko'' are the fine wooden lath
A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straight-grained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in lattice and trellis work.
''Lath'' has expanded to mean any type of backing mate ...
s of the screen, and the ''tsukeko'' are the heavier members (usually around the edge). The ''tsukeko'' are joined with mortise-and-tenon joints, with either a ''jaguchi'' joint or a more complex mitered joint. The ''jigumi kumiko'' are generally joined with simple halved joints, but where ''jigumi kumiko'' cross at a non-right-angle, or three cross at the same point (''mitsu-kude''), the angles can become complicated, and specialized tools are used to cut them rapidly. Small ''kumiko'' may simply be friction-fitted and glued.
While frames can be produced with minimal hand tools, specialized hand tools, power tools, and jigs
The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts of ...
for cutting identical lengths and angles speed the process.[Specialized hand tool for making grooves to take shoji screens, and very elaborate kumiko: ][, , ] These tools are often homemade; as shoji-making is highly competitive, these give ''kumiko'' craftspeople a critical competitive advantage. While frames are handcrafted, there is also industrial mass-production.
Some simple ''kumiko'' types include:
*''mabarasan'' shoji ()[ or ''aragumi'' shoji have large squarish openings, and are quick to assemble. This is the standard pattern used in most shoji.]
*''yokoshigesan'' shoji ()[ or ''yokoshige'' shoji have rectangles that are longer in the horizontal direction; they are more common in the east of Japan.]
*''tatehonshigesan'' shoji ()[ or ''tateshige'' shoji have rectangles that are longer in the vertical direction; they are more common in the west of Japan.]
''Koshi'' (dado)
The lowest portions of the shoji, which are the most likely to get wet or kicked, might be filled with a solid wood-panel dado, called a ''koshi'' (; literally, waist or hip; not to be confused with ''kōshi'', above). Such a shoji is called a ''koshizuke'' shoji.
If the panel is over 60 cm high, or around a third of the height of the whole shoji, the shoji may be called a ''koshi-daka-shōji'' (; literally, high-''koshi'' shoji). These are somewhat archaic, as they were designed to protect against rain. Now that shoji are rarely exposed to rain (due to being behind glass), the form in common use has a much lower panel, and is called ''koshi-tsuki-shōji'' ().[ ''Manaka koshishōji'' () have a central ''koshi''.][
The wood panels were often quite elaborately ornamented, from the late 1500s onwards.][ The outside of the ''koshi'' may covered with wickerwork, or the inside papered.][ Pictures on paper were sometimes pasted onto the ''koshi'' board (''haritsuke-e'', ); pasted-on pictures are characteristic of the ]Shoin style
is a style of Japanese residential architecture used in the mansions of the military, temple guest halls, and Zen abbot's quarters of the Muromachi (1336-1573), Azuchi–Momoyama (1568–1600) and Edo periods (1600–1868). It forms the basis ...
.
The ''koshi'' boards may be fastened to straight vertical or horizontal rails, which stand proud of the planks; older rails are thicker and often chamfer
A chamfer or is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces.
Chamfers are frequently used in machining, carpentry, fu ...
ed. The rails are often grouped in clusters; this clustering is called ''fukiyose'' ().[
]
Filling
Open and semi-open
File:大溪公學校校長宿舍欄間.jpg, A '' ranma'' fanlight, unfilled for air circulation. Note ''fukiyose'', clustered spacing of the laths.
File:Kurashiki Ohashi House02n4592.jpg, A kōshi door in a historic house, unfilled
File:Soba restaurant by Shadowgate in Higashi-Ueno, Tokyo.jpg, A kōshi door on a soba shop, filled with glass; left, simple kōshi window
File:Jingoji Kyoto Kyoto35n4592.jpg, alt=room with sliding screens at about 50 cm height, looking out on the upper reaches of sunlit trees. The screens have a low wooden panel, and a high lattice which appears to be open but is actually glass-filled., These sliding kōshi have been inconspicuously glazed, and are less sheltered than usual
File:JapanHomes104 REED-SCREEN.jpg, Reed shoji; koshi with cut-out bats, top section unfilled
File:蟹仙洞 旧長谷川家住宅主屋(部屋) (cropped to sudare-shoji).jpg, alt=Rectangular lattice frame filled with a blind made of fine grass stems, laid in parallel, ''Sudare-shōji''; beyond, a ''sudare byōbu
are Japanese folding screens made from several joined panels, bearing decorative painting and calligraphy, used to separate interiors and enclose private spaces, among other uses.
History
are thought to have originated in Han dynasty C ...
'' and ''kami'' (paper-filled) shoji
The spaces between the ''kumiko'' are sometimes left open, and the kōshi panel used as an open lattice, especially in summer, for more air circulation. Kōshi may be made into windows (''kōshi-mado'', ) or doors (''kōshi-do'', ). Kōshi that are traditionally left open are now often filled with glass; this does not require much change to their appearance or structure, and glazed kōshi are still considered kōshi. Some lattice patterns have heraldic meanings, identifying the trade of a shopowner, for instance.
Frames may also be backed with wire mesh
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is co ...
, for ventilation without insects.[ '']Sudare
are traditional Japanese screens or blinds, made of horizontal slats of decorative wood, bamboo, or other natural material, woven together with simple string, colored yarn, or other decorative material to make nearly solid blinds can be ei ...
-shōji'' (; also called ''sudo'', ) are filled with ''Phragmites
''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial reed grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world.
Taxonomy
The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by Kew Garden in London ...
'' reed, cat-tail
''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in ...
stalks, pampas grass Pampas grass or pampas-grass is a common name which may refer to any of several similar-looking, tall-growing species of grass:
* Species of ''Cortaderia'' including:
:* ''Cortaderia selloana'' and its selected cultivars
:* '' Cortaderia jubata'' ( ...
, or fine bamboo, held together by a few rows of thread woven around the stems. These provide more shade and ventilation than paper-backed shoji, and are also called ''natsu-shōji'' (, "summer shoji"), as they may be used seasonally. For instance, in Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
, both paper shoji and ''fusuma
In Japanese architecture, 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'' mat, and are thick. The ...
'' will be removed and replaced with ''sudo'' doors and ''sudare'' blinds; this is usually done towards the end of June, before the rainy season ends and the Gion Festival
The is one of the largest and most famous festivals in Japan, taking place annually during the month of July in Kyoto. Many events take place in central Kyoto and at the Yasaka Shrine, the festival's patron shrine, located in Kyoto's famous Gion ...
begins.[ A translation of a couple of illustration-heavy sections from a book published in Japanese.]
Cloth and paper
Shoji are most commonly filled with a single sheet of paper, pasted across the back of the frame (on the outer side). Shoji may also be papered on both sides, which increases thermal insulation and sound absorption; the frame is still visible in silhouette.
*''futsū'' ("common") shoji () have a frame on one side, paper on the other[
*''mizugoshi'' shoji () have a frame sandwiched between two papers.][ Also called ''taiko'' shoji.]
*''ryōmen'' shoji () have paper sandwiched between two frames[
Shoji are not made with ]rice paper
"Rice paper" has many varieties such as rice paper made from tree bark to make drawing and writing paper or from rice flour and tapioca flour and then mixed with salt and water to produce a thin rice cake and dried to become harder and paper-like ...
, though this is commonly asserted outside of Japan, possibly simply because "rice paper" sounds oriental.
Cloth, usually a fine silk, has traditionally been used, but usage declined with improvements in the quality of ''washi
is traditional Japanese paper. The term is used to describe paper that uses local fiber, processed by hand and made in the traditional manner. ''Washi'' is made using fibers from the inner bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (''Ed ...
'' (a specialized paper which diffuses light particularly well, and excludes wind). Washi is traditionally made from ''kōzo'' (mulberry, ''Broussonetia papyrifera
The paper mulberry (''Broussonetia papyrifera'', syn. ''Morus papyrifera'' L.) is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to Asia,[Edgeworthia papyrifera
''Edgeworthia chrysantha'' (common names: Oriental paperbush, mitsumata) is a plant in the family Thymelaeaceae.
Etymology
The genus was named in honour of Michael Pakenham Edgeworth (1812–1881), an Irish-born Victorian era amateur botanist, ...]
'') or ''gampi
Gampi or Ganpi are a group of Japanese shrubs, members of the genus ''Wikstroemia'', some of which have been used for making paper since the 8th century. It is used to make the high quality washi paper, as are kōzo and mitsumata trees.
Variou ...
'' ('' Wikstroemia canescens''), or hemp
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...
fibers[ and it is sold in a broad range of types. Washi was formerly made in narrower strips, which were overlapped by a few millimeters as they were glued on; it now comes in wider widths, and in rolls or lengths the height of a short Japanese door. Bright white paper is most popular in Japan; off-whites are also available, but darker colours are avoided, as they would not transmit light. Washi began to be mass-produced in the 1800s, making it much more affordable.] Synthetic fibers were first used in washi paper in the 1960s (mid Shōwa period
Shōwa may refer to:
* Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa
* Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu
Japanese eras
* Jōwa (Heian ...
). A small proportion of synthetic fibers may be used to increase tear strength. The optical characteristics of washi, such as its reflectance
The reflectance of the surface of a material is its effectiveness in reflecting radiant energy. It is the fraction of incident electromagnetic power that is reflected at the boundary. Reflectance is a component of the response of the electronic ...
and scatter, are selected by the maker.[
Paper is decoratively patched if torn,] and, traditionally, replaced once a year in late December (sometimes less frequently, such as every two years). The rice glue
Rice glue ( ja, 続飯, ) is a gel or liquid adhesive made of a smooth mush of well-cooked white rice, diluted to the desired thickness with water. It has been used since antiquity for various arts and crafts; for instance, it is a woodworking and ...
used to hold it to the ''kumiko'' is water-soluble (wheatpaste
Wheat paste (also known as flour and water paste, flour paste, or simply paste) is a gel or liquid adhesive made from wheat flour or starch and water. It has been used since antiquity for various arts and crafts such as book binding, découpag ...
is also sometimes used and double-sided tape
Double-sided tape is any pressure-sensitive tape that is coated with adhesive on both sides. It is designed to stick two surfaces together, often in a way which is not visible in the end product, due to it being in between the objects rather than ...
may also be used, especially for laminated paper).
Laminated papers, coated in vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
, last longer and are sufficiently waterproof to be wiped clean, but the thicker the plastic film, the harder it is to install. After glue is dry (~6 hours[), non-laminated paper can be sprayed with water to tauten it (removing small wrinkles), but laminated paper cannot.][ Shoji paper cannot be used in places where it will get wet, like a bathroom; even laminated paper will be affected, as water bleeds in from the edges.]
Traditionally, ''abura-shōji'' (: "oil-shoji"), also called ''ama-shōji'' (: "rain-shoji"), used paper (generally ''nishi-no-uchigami'', ) that was glued on with vinegar-based paste and then oiled. This made them water-resistant, so they were used where rain might reach under the eaves.[ Oiled-paper windows were common in Europe, as European-style shallow ]eaves
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...
exposed the windows to precipitation. In Japan, deep eaves were conventional, and oiled-paper windows were rare.[ ]
PDF, with additional images of process and tools
3D drawings for a kōshi (lattice) door
/ref>
The smooth sheet of paper covering the back of a shoji can make it difficult to grip and slide the shoji from the outside. To solve this, a single square in the frame may be papered only on the opposite side,[ and/or a groove may be cut in the outside of the frame (see image). This doorpull is called a '' hikite''.][
While washi paper blocks wind, it does allow air to diffuse through, allowing air circulation.][ This is particularly important in traditional buildings, in which ]charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
is burned,[ and damp evaporates from the ground in the ]crawlspace
A crawl space is an unoccupied, unfinished, narrow space within a building, between the ground and the first (or ground) floor. The crawl space is so named because there is typically only enough room to crawl rather than stand; anything larger t ...
under the raised wooden floor. '' Ranma'' (transom/fanlight panels above the sliding panels and ''kamoi'') may have openings to further encourage breezes to pass through the building.
Plastic sheets and synthetic fibers
Less traditionally, rigid light-diffusing panels of plastics are also used, such as approximately 2 mm-thick acrylic or polycarbonate
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...
which can be frosted
Frosted (stylised as FroSTed) was an American pop punk band, founded by ex-Go-Go's guitarist and singer Jane Wiedlin in 1995. The band was so-named because ''"it sounds sweet"''.''The Daily Aztec''link) The letters S and T were capitalised in tr ...
or bonded to a printed film. Fiberglass-reinforced acrylic is also used. Rigid translucent panels cannot readily be spliced; one continuous sheet must usually be used per frame.[ Plastic panels are waterproof, and some may be used outdoors year-round.]
Paperlike sheets of plastic nonwoven fabric
Nonwoven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres (continuous long), bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabri ...
s may also be used, including polypropylene
Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene.
Polypropylene
belongs to the group of polyolefins and ...
(like that used in surgical mask
A surgical mask, also known by other names such as a medical face mask or procedure mask, is a personal protective equipment used by healthcare professionals that serves as a mechanical barrier that interferes with direct airflow in and out of re ...
s and other disposable clothing). A peel-and-stick film made of epoxy
Epoxy is the family of basic components or cured end products of epoxy resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide functional group is also coll ...
and white non-woven fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
is also used. Nonwoven sheets of composite plastic (vinyl-coated polyester) fibers are also used, and may be attached with removable fasteners rather than glue, although they are still single-use.[
]
Glass
File:Yukimi shōji 02.jpg, ''Yukimi'' shoji (snow-watching shoji) have glass panes. They allow a view of the outside in cold weather. These are ''jika'' glass shoji.
File:雪見障子 (14247536929).jpg, ''Yukimi'' shojis' translucent sections often slide, like sash windows
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double glazing) of glass.
History
T ...
, for privacy (left, open; right, closed; center, partly open). This is called a ''suriage'' or ''agesage'' shoji (, ).
File:秋田県 角館町 (41580325682).jpg, Another style of ''yukimi'' shoji, ''yokogaku'' shoji: full-width glass, surrounded by lightweight panes.
File:Okochi Denjiro garden tea house (7123924157).jpg, Another style of ''yukimi'' shoji, ''katagaku'' shoji: one central glass pane, surrounded by regular lightweight material.
File:Japanese old style house interior design 2 和室 (わしつ) の内装 (ないそう).jpg, Paper-coated ''nekoma'' shoji (with sliding sub-panel for view) inside the ''engawa'', and all-glass ''garasu-do'' outside.
''Nekoma'' shoji (, also called ''mago'' shoji, ) have a horizontally-sliding translucent sub-panel (or two, for Osaka ''nekoma'' shoji), which can be opened from inside to give a view outwards. Until the late 1800s, these small panels were the only use of glass in shoji; blown plate Blown plate is a hand-blown glass. There is a record of blown plate being produced in London in 1620. Production
Blown plate was made by hand-grinding broad sheet glass. As the process was labour-intensive, and expensive, blown plate was mainly use ...
glass was expensive and available in small panes.
Cheaper plate glass was introduced to Japan circa the late 1800s. It was widely applied to traditional kōshi doors, without much change to the traditional form and structure. The oiled paper in ''ama-shōji'' was also replaced with glass.
''Yukimi shoji'' (, snow-watching shoji) have a larger full-width section of glass, at seated-eye level, affording a view of the outside in cold weather. Glass can be used in large sheets or in small panes (the ''kumiko'' becoming muntin
A muntin (US), muntin bar, glazing bar (UK), or sash bar is a strip of wood or metal separating and holding panes of glass in a window. Muntins can be found in doors, windows, and furniture, typically in Western styles of architecture. Muntins ...
s). ''Yukimi'' shoji also contain non-transparent translucent sections, for privacy. In ''suriage'' shoji, there is a vertically-sliding translucent section; the translucent sections are divided horizontally like a sash windows
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double glazing) of glass.
History
T ...
. When closed, these then look much like standard shoji (see images). Peel-and-stick films that give glass some of the appearance of washi are also sold.
''Sukimi'' shoji (, moon-watching shoji)[ are similar; they have upper panels that give a view, while the lower ones are translucent.
]
Fitting
File:Edo-Tokyo Museum - miniature model of Hokusai's studio 01 (15585495469).jpg, Shoji as usually mounted with two sliding panels in an opening. If the full opening is wanted, panels are removed. 2×2.5 ken
Ken or KEN may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer.
* ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film.
* ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine.
* Ken Masters, a main character in ...
house.
File:Gs01-rinsyun.jpg, Four-panel opening at Sankeien, open. The innermost doors and outermost doors overlap fully; note that in the single-layer ranma above, the light is brighter, and the silhouette of the visitor stooping for her bag sharper.
File:Kaisuian Interior window crop.jpg, Top: katabiki shoji, on interior rails, slides in front of the wall. Lower right: a katabiki shoji which cannot slide fully open.
File:JapanHomes151 SHŌJI FOR WINDOW.jpg, Kake-shōji hang from hooks; they are used for small windows in opaque walls.
File:松風荘 茶室 (3).jpg, Center, kake-shōji. Right, opaque ajiro (: "wickerwork") on a cupboard door.
Shoji doors are often designed to slide open, (and thus conserve space that would be required by a swinging door); they may also be hung or fixed.
Most commonly, a shoji panel slides in a grooved wooden track. The upper groove is substantially deeper than the lower groove.[ The lower groove is cut in the ''shikii'', or threshold beam ("the shikii is high" means "it is difficult to visit the place", or expresses self-consciousness). The upper groove is cut in the ''kamoi'', a lintel between adjacent posts.] The traditional wooden track requires precise fitting, and the wood may wear with use, or warp due to changes in humidity.[ A well-made traditional groove system is light enough that the door can be slid with one finger.][ Traditionally, grooves were waxed; more modernly, grooves may be lined with low-friction plastic.][
Shoji are often mounted in pairs, with two panels and two grooves in each opening.] When closed, adjacent sliding shoji overlap by the width of the wooden frame edge.[
Shoji are also mounted four panels to the opening. In this case, the innermost pair are generally mounted on the same track, and the outermost pair on a different track;] A rounded tongue and groove are cut so that the innermost pair interlock. The double parallel grooves allow the shoji to be slid so that they occupy nearly half of their closed width;[ if a larger opening is needed, the shoji must be removed.][ As the panels are usually slightly different, it is important to put them back in the same order, without swapping them around, so that they will continue to slide easily.][ This type of mounting, where the panels overlap by a stile-width when closed, is called hiki-chigai ().] Hiki-chigai came to be used in minka
are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles.
In the context of the four divisions of society, were the dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants (i.e., the three non-samurai castes). This c ...
(commoners' homes) in the mid-Edo Period (c. 1700s).
Katabiki shoji () are single panels sliding in a single groove. They slide on rails mounted on a solid wall, and when open partly or fully overlap the wall. They are used for smaller windows in opaque walls; this is common in chashitsu
''Chashitsu'' (, "tea room") in Japanese tradition is an architectural space designed to be used for tea ceremony (''chanoyu'') gatherings.
The architectural style that developed for ''chashitsu'' is referred to as the ''sukiya'' style (''suk ...
(see image). Small windows and katabiki mounting were used in minka
are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles.
In the context of the four divisions of society, were the dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants (i.e., the three non-samurai castes). This c ...
until the mid-Edo period, but were then replaced by larger openings with sliding panels.[ Full-height shoji set up so that they can be slid in front of an opaque wall are not common in modern Japan.][ Washi-on-frame panels can also be used to diffuse an artificial light source; in Japanese lampshades, this use is both common and traditional in Japan.][
Less traditionally, hiki () shoji (sliding panels) can be hung on rollers, which run on metal rails mounted on the side of the ''kamoi''. This avoids fit problems caused by humidity-related changes in the dimensions of wood.][ Such rail-mount shoji require an anti-sway pin, but may otherwise have a smooth, unobstructed threshold.][Shoji Hawaii]
gallery
/ref> Such shoji are also fairly easy to remove.
Shoji may also be installed as pocket door
A pocket door is a sliding door that, when fully open, disappears into a compartment in the adjacent wall. Pocket doors are used for architecture, architectural effect, or when there is no room for the swing of a hinged door. They can travel on r ...
s between rooms, called hikikomi () shoji. This is a historical practice, but it is no longer common in Japan, though it is sometimes used in western-style homes. Shoji in Europe are commonly suspended on panel-blind track, by 'touch-and-close' fastener such as Velcro
Velcro, officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies, is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasten ...
. No bottom channel is required or used – panels are typically 16–17 mm thick made from Obeche
''Triplochiton scleroxylon'' is a tree of the genus '' Triplochiton'' of the family ''Malvaceae''. The timber is known by the common names African whitewood, abachi, obeche (in Nigeria), wawa (in Ghana), ayous (in Cameroon) and sambawawa (in Ivo ...
timber rather than traditional conifer wood. This method has the advantage of being less likely to break but can move in strong draughts.
Other suspension methods are sometimes used. Kake-shōji (hanging shoji) are mostly used in traditionally rustic chashitsu
''Chashitsu'' (, "tea room") in Japanese tradition is an architectural space designed to be used for tea ceremony (''chanoyu'') gatherings.
The architectural style that developed for ''chashitsu'' is referred to as the ''sukiya'' style (''suk ...
(tea rooms). They are commonly hung over small windows in opaque walls of mud plaster; they hang from bent-nail hooks, one on either side of the top of the window, and the topmost frame member is extended into two horizontal projections that rest in the hooks (see photo above).[ Like katabiki shoji,][ kake shoji may be placed on the inside or the outside of the wall, depending on what suits the window.][
Hiraki shoji are mounted on hinges in a doorframe, and open like a standard western door. Some are single doors, some double doors.] Double doors, whether bifold doors or not, are termed ryōbiraki shoji ().
Tsukuritsuke shoji (, "fixed shoji"), are often horizontal strips.[
]
Development and use
Hashira-ma equipment
Traditional Japanese buildings are post-and-lintel structures. They are built around vertical posts, connected by horizontal beams (rafter
A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associated ...
s were traditionally the only structural member that was neither horizontal nor vertical). The rest of the structure is non-load-bearing.
The roof completed, all but the cheapest buildings also added a raised plank floor (except in the kitchen). The remaining question was what to do with the space between the pillars, the hashira-ma (, ).
The hashira-ma might be filled with fixed walls, in cheaper Japanese homes. For example, there might be lath-and-plaster walls, or in colder areas thatch walls; these are still used in rustic teahouses and historic buildings (see images). Bark-and-bamboo walls, clapboard
Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of these terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping.
''Clapboard'' in modern Americ ...
, and board-and-batten
A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields.
In the lighting industry, battens refer to linea ...
walls were also used.[ Where affordable, though, the tendency was against permanent walls. Instead, openable or removable screens were used, and their type, number, and position adjusted according to the weather without and the activities within. These items can collectively be termed hashira-ma equipment.][
The technology of hashira-ma equipment has developed over time, and shoji were among those developments. Shoji have imposed constraints on other types of hashira-ma equipment: being translucent, non-waterproof, light, and fragile, they need protection, but they also need access to light.
]
History
Literally, ''shoji'' means "small obstructing thing" (; it might be translated as "screen
Screen or Screens may refer to:
Arts
* Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing
* Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry
* Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...
"), and though this use is now obsolete, ''shoji'' was originally used for a variety of sight-obstructing panels, screens, or curtains, many portable,[Formal Audience Hall (Shoin)]
Interview with Matthew Welch, Curator of Japanese and Korean Art either free-standing or hung from lintels,[ used to divide the interior space of buildings (see ]List of partitions of traditional Japanese architecture Traditional Japanese architecture uses post-and-lintel structures – vertical posts, connected by horizontal beams. Rafters are traditionally the only structural member used in Japanese timber framing that is neither horizontal nor vertical. Th ...
). While ''shoji'' now exclusively means a translucent framework screen, and "fusuma" an opaque one, historic terminology is less clear-cut.
Cloth-covered frame panels that fit between pillars (but did not yet slide in grooves) were invented in the 600s. They were used to screen bedrooms (like the curtains on a canopy bed
A canopy bed is a bed with a canopy, which is usually hung with bed curtains. Functionally, the canopy and curtains keep the bed warmer, and screen it from light and sight. On more expensive beds, they may also be elaborately ornamental.
History ...
), and called ''fusuma'' shoji[ (there were also bedclothes called "fusuma"). When paper came to be used instead of cloth, fusuma shoji were also called karakami shoji.] From the late 1100s to the early 1200s, translucent cloth and paper shoji were called akari-shōji (), "illuminating shoji".[ It is not clear when translucent shoji were first used.][
The symmetrical round-pillared ]shinden style
''Shinden-zukuri'' (寝殿造) refers to an architectural style created in the Heian period (794-1185) in Japan and used mainly for palaces and residences of nobles.
In 894, Japan abolished the ''kentōshi'' (Japanese missions to Tang China) ...
developed in the mid-900s, for the lakeside palaces of aristocrats. The outside could be closed off with heavy wooden shutters called shitomi
''Shitomi'' (蔀), also called hajitomi (半蔀) are square-lattice shutters or doors found on older-style Japanese buildings. They are characteristic of the Shinden style, and the Heian Period (794-1185). They were used in aristocrats' palaces, a ...
-do (), which were usually horizontally split and hinged (hajitomi), but were occasionally vertically split and hinged.
Sliding partitions (hiki-do, , literally "sliding door") did not come into use until the tail end of the Heian, and the beginning of the Kamakura period. Early sliding doors were heavy; some were made of solid wood.[ Initially used in expensive mansions, they eventually came to be used in more ordinary houses as well.][
File:G322-HR07-14.jpg, ]Hajitomi
''Shitomi'' (蔀), also called hajitomi (半蔀) are square-lattice shutters or doors found on older-style Japanese buildings. They are characteristic of the Shinden style, and the Heian Period (794-1185). They were used in aristocrats' palaces, ...
are split, and hinged, horizontally. Here the bottom halves have been lifted out. There are shoji behind the hajitomi.
File:Nijo Castle J09 40 (cropped contrast shoin and sukiya).jpg, alt=Building with facade alternating two shoji with two horizontally-battened maira-do, On the right, three grooves, three panels. The maira-do are open, and the single shoji panel closed; half of the area is still filled with the maira-do. The building to the left is newer; its outer groove runs outside the pillars. The shutters are packed away in the to-bukuros in the corners, and the shoji in the inner two grooves run uninterrupted (close-up
A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long s ...
).
File:Mairado-to-amado, shoin-to-sukiya-style.svg, Plan view of the mairado and amado shutter systems, showing rotator and to-bukuro. Black squares are pillars. Shoji in white, shutters in black, grooves in grey. See als
external movie
File:JapanHomes103 SECTION THROUGH VERANDAH AND GUEST-ROOM (SVG).svg, Section through Sukiya-style middle-class home of the early 1880s
Smooth fitting of panel and groove is critical to allow the panels to move easily,[ and the woodworking of the sliding mechanism developed over time][ (modern shoji can be moved with one finger).][ Formerly, the grooves were made by dobumizo (), nailing strips of wood to the kamoi (lintel) and shikii (sill) beams.][ The grooves were later cut into the beams, using a specialized saw to cut the sides, a chisel to remove the waste, and specialized groove planes to smooth.] A shakuri kanna (plow plane
A grooving plane, plow plane, or plough plane is a Plane (tool), plane used in woodworking to make grooves and (with some of the metal versions) small rabbets. They are traditionally used for drawer bottoms or rear walls.
References
*
...
) was used to smooth the bottom of the groove, and a wakitori kanna for the sides of the groove (these planes also became more elaborate, later adding screw adjustments and other machined-metal refinements).[ Before hiki-chigai (sliding panels that overlap when closed) became standard in the Muromachi period, hiki-do had a central vertical rail (nakahōdate, ) in the middle of each opening to cover the gap between the panels when they were closed.][
In the ]Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...
, hiki-do improved, and the Shoin style
is a style of Japanese residential architecture used in the mansions of the military, temple guest halls, and Zen abbot's quarters of the Muromachi (1336-1573), Azuchi–Momoyama (1568–1600) and Edo periods (1600–1868). It forms the basis ...
of architecture was developed.[ The rising warrior class seeking to emulate the aristocratic fashions, and the aristocrats, who had lost wealth, could no longer afford Shiden-style palaces.][ ]Conrad Totman
Conrad Davis Totman (born January 5, 1934) is an American historian, academic, writer, translator and Japanologist.Conrad Totman Papers (MS 447). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amhe ...
argues that deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...
was a factor in the style changes, including the change from panelled wooden sliding doors to the lightweight covered-frame shoji and fusuma
In Japanese architecture, 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'' mat, and are thick. The ...
.
A core part of the style was the shoin
is a type of audience hall in Japanese architecture that was developed during the Muromachi period. The term originally meant a study and a place for lectures on the sūtra within a temple, but later it came to mean just a drawing room or stu ...
("library" or "study"), a room with a desk built into an alcove containing a shoji window, in a monastic style; this desk alcove developed in the Kamakura period. The Shoin style also made extensive use of sliding doors.[ In order to fit better against closed hiki-do, support pillars were squared; these were called kaku-bashira ().][ Suspended ceilings were added, and ]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 ...
were used wall-to-wall, entirely covering the floorboards. Tatami dimensions were regionally standardized, and the other elements of the room became proportioned to the mats;[ standardization of building components reduced waste and the need for custom fabrication, and thus cost (standard lumber, for instance, came in exactly the dimensions needed by the carpenter).][ Lower-class buildings adopted some of the cheaper elements of the Shoin style, where the law permitted it (class-based limitations were not lifted until the ]Meiji Era
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
, in the late 1800s).[ Minka (commoner's houses) rarely used sliding mountings at this time, and generally had only small windows.][
A variety of specialized hiki-do were developed (along with intermediate forms). Apart from shoji, there were fusuma, similar but with opaque paper, and maira-do, plank-and-batten wooden doors ().] Maira-do replaced shitomi-do as rain-protection doors. Initially, the beams between the outer support posts were cut with three grooves; the innermost one for the shoji, and the outer two for mairado-do. This meant that the hashira-ma was generally at least half-obscured, although the other half could be open, shoji-filled, or closed.[
In the first half of the 1600s, at the beginning of the Edo period, the outermost groove was moved outside the line of pillars. The wooden shutters placed in this groove interlocked edge-to-edge, and were called ''ama-do'' (, "rain-door"): they were storm shutters, used only at night and in poor weather.] To open the building in the morning, each ama-do would be slid along ( rotating at corners) to the end of groove, where they were stacked in a box[ called a to-bukuro (, : literally, "door-container"). The to-bukuro might be designed to swing out of the way.] The inner two grooves remained as they were, but both could now be filled with shoji, doubling the number of shoji in a building. Lightweight shoji could be lifted out and carried away easily. This new structure allowed the entire side of the building to be opened, giving either twice as much light, from an uninterrupted wall of shoji, or an unobstructed view of the garden; gardens changed accordingly.[
By the mid-1600s, single-track ama-do had spread, and the ama-do might be placed on the outside of the engawa.][ The combination of architectural changes marked the end of the shoin style, and the beginning of the ]sukiya style
is one type of Japanese residential architectural style. ''Suki'' means refined, well cultivated taste and delight in elegant pursuits and refers to enjoyment of the exquisitely performed tea ceremony.
The word originally denoted a building in ...
.
File:Fukagawa Edo Museum on the 30th of october 2010 - 89.jpg, Shoji in a museum replica of a 1×2.5 ken Edo nagaya
Nagaya ( ') (684 – 20 March 729) was a politician of the Nara period and an imperial prince of Japan, a son of Prince Takechi (grandson of Emperor Tenmu).
His father was Prince Takechi and his mother Princess Minabe (a daughter of Emperor T ...
(, row house). Kitchen to left, second door on right; munewari nagaya had only a kitchen door.
File:Fukiya katayama house01s3200.jpg, Shoji in a machiya
are traditional wooden townhouses found throughout Japan and typified in the historical capital of Kyoto. (townhouses) and (farm dwellings) constitute the two categories of Japanese vernacular architecture known as (folk dwellings).
orig ...
(merchant's house). Light from full-height tōriniwa (, atrium/kitchen) enters the lateral tatami rooms.
File:Kawasaki Nihon Minkaen 06.jpg, Shoji in a nōka (, farmhouse). The attics were probably once used for sericulture
Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, ''Bombyx mori'' (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth) is the most widely used and intensively studie ...
.
File:Dejima Nagasaki Japan31s3.jpg, Dutch-Japanese interior from Dejima
, in the 17th century also called Tsukishima ( 築島, "built island"), was an artificial island off Nagasaki, Japan that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570–1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641–1854). For 220 years, it ...
Unlike the Shiden and Shoin styles, the Sukiya system was, and still is, used in Japanese buildings of all classes.[ Simple shoji became fairly cheap (standardization has already been mentioned), so they were not restricted to the homes of the rich (see illustrations).
Paper-and-wood construction is very liable to fire; densely-packed ]nagaya
Nagaya ( ') (684 – 20 March 729) was a politician of the Nara period and an imperial prince of Japan, a son of Prince Takechi (grandson of Emperor Tenmu).
His father was Prince Takechi and his mother Princess Minabe (a daughter of Emperor T ...
row houses were therefore also known as yakeya (, , burning houses). Fires were a major problem in Japanese cities well into the Meiji Period; homes (including their furniture and the standardized architectural modules, such as tatami and hiki-do and even floorboards) were made to be quickly packed up and carried away when fire threatened, leaving only the stripped pillars and roof, which could easily be pulled down by firefighters.[
Plate glass was introduced to Japan in the late 1800s.] It was used in yukimi shoji (see above) and in paperless garasu-do (, Dutch loan-word ''garasu'', glass). Some early garasu-do were divided into panes by mullions
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
, like contemporary western windows (see images).
The float glass
Float glass is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal, typically tin, although lead and other various low- melting-point alloys were used in the past. This method gives the sheet uniform thickness and very flat sur ...
technique, which made large panes of picture-quality glass cheap, was developed in the 1950s in the UK.[US patent 2911759 – Manufacture of flat glass]
/ref> The process was made profitable in 1960, and in the early sixties plants were licensed throughout the world, including in Japan. Japan had developed substantial domestic float glass production by 1965. As 1960s float glass produced large single-pane picture window
A window is an Hole, opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazing (window), glazed or covered in some other transparenc ...
s in Western architecture, some influenced by the architecture of Japan, it also had an effect on Japanese architecture. Float glass was widely applied to traditional kōshi frames, without much change to the traditional structure or appearance.
In modern Japan, it is fairly common to have garasu-do (all-glass sliding doors) on the outside of the engawa
An or is an edging strip of non-tatami-matted flooring in Japanese architecture, usually wood or bamboo. The may run around the rooms, on the outside of the building, in which case they resemble a porch or sunroom.
Usually, the is outside t ...
(veranda under the eaves), and translucent shoji on the inside, especially in cold climates. A layer of paper shoji behind a layer of glass helps to insulate the house. Ama-do are still used to protect the glass; for instance, glass doors and shoji may get two grooves each, and ama-do a single additional groove just outside the glass. Shoji are common in the washitsu
A , meaning "Japanese-style room(s)", and frequently called a "tatami room" in English, is a Japanese room with traditional tatami flooring. also usually have sliding doors (), rather than hinged doors between rooms. They may have and, if the ...
of modern Japanese homes; they may also be used instead of curtains in Western-style rooms.
File:Yoshimatsu02.jpg, Engawa lined with paper-coated shoji (left, frame on inside) and surrounded by all-glass garasu-do (right). The lower glass is frosted.
File:昭和の暮らし (2910417887).jpg, A mid-20th-century Japanese kitchen, with shoji and half-frosted glass sliding doors
File:Nara Irie KyuKyo BookRoom.jpg, Shoji in an interior with Western-style furniture; note float-glass outer doors
File:Ryokan Koaka - 4 (756346060).jpg, Room with shoji in a ''ryokan
A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...
''
Aesthetics and culture
The silhouettes cast through shoji, and visible on the darker side, are valued for their aesthetic effects.[ In his book on Japanese aesthetics and architecture, '']In Praise of Shadows
is an essay on Japanese aesthetics by the Japanese author and novelist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. It was translated into English by the academic students of Japanese literature Thomas Harper and Edward Seidensticker. A new translation by Gregory S ...
'', Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
was a Japanese author who is considered to be one of the most prominent figures in modern Japanese literature. The tone and subject matter of his work ranges from shocking depictions of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions to subtle por ...
comments on the role of shoji in the interaction of light and shadows. Shoji also filter the outside light. How light is brought inside a traditional building, and what kind of light, is considered an integral part of the livability and aesthetics of an interior space.
The ability to slide the shoji aside, and take them out and put them in a closet, means that living space is more spacious, open, and more connected to the garden outside.[ It also means that rooms can be thrown together for special occasions, so that a small house can host large social gatherings.][ This attribute has been valued since at least Heian times.][
Paper shoji can be painted on.][ While paint blocks the light, shoji were sometimes used for signage (see images).
Portability has encouraged the use of shoji on ceremonial occasions and in theater.][ A person being thrown through shoji is an action-movie cliché.]
See also
* List of partitions of traditional Japanese architecture Traditional Japanese architecture uses post-and-lintel structures – vertical posts, connected by horizontal beams. Rafters are traditionally the only structural member used in Japanese timber framing that is neither horizontal nor vertical. Th ...
* Sudare
are traditional Japanese screens or blinds, made of horizontal slats of decorative wood, bamboo, or other natural material, woven together with simple string, colored yarn, or other decorative material to make nearly solid blinds can be ei ...
(bamboo screens or blinds)
* Fusuma
In Japanese architecture, 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'' mat, and are thick. The ...
(opaque version)
* Engawa
An or is an edging strip of non-tatami-matted flooring in Japanese architecture, usually wood or bamboo. The may run around the rooms, on the outside of the building, in which case they resemble a porch or sunroom.
Usually, the is outside t ...
(protective veranda)
* Higashiyama period
The Higashiyama culture (東山文化 ''Higashiyama bunka'') is a segment of Japanese culture that includes innovations in Japanese architecture, architecture, the Japanese painting, visual arts and Theatre of Japan, theatre during the late Mur ...
* Muntin
A muntin (US), muntin bar, glazing bar (UK), or sash bar is a strip of wood or metal separating and holding panes of glass in a window. Muntins can be found in doors, windows, and furniture, typically in Western styles of architecture. Muntins ...
s (glass pane frames)
* Anidolic lighting
Anidolic lighting systems use anidolic optical components to light rooms. Light redirected by these systems does not converge to a focal point or form an image, hence the name (from ''an'', without, and ''eidolon'', image).
Anidolic lighting us ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
''Sukiya Living Magazine'' article about shoji screens
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoji
Japanese architectural features
Interior design
Doors
Windows
Japanese home
Partitions in traditional Japanese architecture