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Japanese Sliding Doors: Shouji 障子 & Fusuma 襖

The Japanese people have been known for their ingenuity and sophisticated crafting
skills of wood in building architectures,
since the ancient times. Architectural
features like sliding wooden doors Shouji
障 子 and Fusuma 襖 reflect how the
Japanese culture has been coloured by
those woodworks. When anyone visits old
temples, palaces of the imperial family or
any castle of a shogun, the functionality
of these two types of doors is revealed to
him in its ingenuity and aesthetic. Even
today, it is one of the most common
elements seen in traditional Japanese-

style houses’ decor.

Hikido (引き戸 ): Shouji 障子

& Fusuma 襖
Shouji 障 子 and Fusuma 襖 are the two
well-known Hikido (引き戸). Hikido (引き戸) is a generic term for doors which slide
sideways. Unlike the swinging doors that open in and out, 引 き 戸 opens by sliding
horizontally on sill and head jamb tracks and requires no space for opening and
closing. Thus it conserves space and can easily be kept open when occasion
demands. Because of this feature it perfectly suited to the Japanese-style buildings’
smaller architecture. The Shouji 障 子 and Fusuma 襖 are classified as hikishouji 引 障
子, or a pair of sliding doors which move in one track and rather than overlap. They
do not have any wheel under them, so they are carefully crafted to slide in their
slots using a one-finger push.

Shouji 障子 or Akarishouji 明障子

Shouji 障子 consists of a checkered lightweight wooden framework and a single thin
sheet of translucent Japan paper washi 和 紙 mounted only on the outer side of a
wooden lattice to let the light through. The washi paper used for shoji screens is
made with a specific thinness that allows the light to enter in a pleasant way and to

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distribute evenly, making it soft to the eye. It produces the beauty of “shade and
shadow” and maintains privacy.

Shouji started being used in the 8th

century during the late Heian Period, and
served to divide one room into two smaller
rooms, the same as Fusuma. As the paper
is translucent, Shouji are also used as
window shades instead of curtains to
soften direct sunlight coming through the
window. These doors are sometimes used
in the summer because they pass light and
give a cooler feeling. Traditional Japanese
homes have exterior shutters called ama-
do. These shutters are closed at night and
during bad weather. A Shouji 障 子 ,
whenever it is used, is positioned on
the inboard side of the wooden shutters.
On a nice day the home’s shutters might
be opened up, making the Shouji easily
visible from the outside. The Shouji doors
are not meant to be exposed to the rain.

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There are two typical types of Shoji. The traditional type has a single grid with
framing, paper applied to only one side. The grid is visible from inside the room,
with just the paper and shadow of the grid visible from outside the house. The
western style is to have 2 identical grid-works with the paper sandwiched in the
center. Fine, thin silk cloth is occasionally used instead of paper.
Shoji can be designed in many different ways depending on the design of the lattice
frame. There are shoji called yukimi-shoji, or snow viewing shoji which incorporate a
glass window in the lower portion of the door, a vertical shoji sliding panel can be
raised revealing the window.

Fusuma 襖 or Fusumashouji 襖障子 :

As distinguished from the translucent screen Shouji 明障子, Fusuma 襖 is an opaque
sliding door. It is an
interior door used as a
partition between rooms
to block eyes and as
cupboard doors. They
are usually covered with
a decorative paper and
are normally used as
pairs, or as pairs of
pairs.
Fusuma 襖 consists of a
wooden lattice
understructure with
special Japanese paper
pasted on either side.
They typically have a
black lacquer border, and round indented metal door-pulls for opening and closing.
There is air space between the two pieces of paper that acts as insulation to help
keep the room cool in summer and warm in winter. Unlike the translucent
Akarishouji 明 障 子 , Fusuma doors are
made with a heavier paper. The
unique papers and clothes covering
the surface of Fusuma also decorate
the door and the room altogether by
their pictures that varies from
traditional designs to modern designs.
Fusuma first appeared in the
Muromachi period (1392-1565). They
were used to close off large spaces

fusuma: Sannoma Joraku Hall, Nagoya Castle's main keep

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into smaller rooms and

as closet doors. During
the Azuchi-Momoyama
( 安 土 桃 山 時 代 : 1568-
1600) and Edo ( 江 戸 時
代 : 1600-1868)
periods, military lords
established splendid
castles for the purpose
of showcasing their
wealth and power. In
these
castles, Fusuma were
decorated with
beautiful brightly
Painting on fusuma: outside the Kyoto imperial palace
colored paintings and gold leaf. We can view some of the artistic Fusuma created
during this period on display at Nijo-jo castle, Nishihonganji Temple, and other
places in Kyoto. Until around 150 years ago, you could find the most
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beautiful and artistic screens in the houses and castles of Samurai warriors.
Thus Fusuma served as canvases for ink drawings or colored paintings by famous
artists. Many of these artistic Fusuma qualify as national treasures.
Historically, Fusuma were painted, often with scenes from nature such as

mountains, forests or animals.

Sliding doors at Enko-ji

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Today, many feature plain rice paper, or have industrially printed graphics of fans,
autumn leaves, cherry blossoms, trees, or geometric graphics. Patterns for children
featuring popular characters can also be purchased.

Modern Trends:
However, it appears that Shouji 障 子 and Fusuma 襖 that easily transmits light and
sound, are dying out in popularity, due to the advent of air conditioning and
westernization of Japanese homes. People nowadays, in order to increase privacy,
prefer to have individual rooms in their home rather than a large space closed off
into smaller rooms with fusuma 襖. As a result, there are fewer and fewer shouji 障子
and fusuma 襖 in modern Japanese homes.

For Further Reading:

• A companion To Japanese History by William M. Tsutsui

• Architecture and Authority In Japan by William H. Coaldrake

• Japan Style: Architecture, Interiors & Design by Geeta Mehta & Kimie Tada

• In Harmony of the Japanese House by Atsushi Ueda

• http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/parent.html

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• http://www.reigrut.net/us/travel/japan/index.html

• http://www.city.nagoya.jp/global/en/nagoyanews/200601/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dji