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

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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.

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,

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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 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

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

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castles for the purpose of
showcasing their wealth and
power. In these
castles, Fusuma were
decorated with beautiful
brightly 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
Painting on fusuma: outside the Kyoto imperial palace
could find the most xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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 Temple

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.

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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
• 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

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