Shoji have been appreciated by Japanese because they do not set a sharp barrier between the interior and the exterior. Although today Shoji are not used as often as before in Japanese houses since they are replaced with curtains and glass windows, they are still an important part of Japanese architecture. During the Edo Period (1603-1868), decorative patterns of frames started to be used for Shoji. Shoji was invented about a century after the appearance of Fusuma. Like Fusuma, Shoji also has thermal insulation and releases moisture. While Fusuma is mainly used to separate rooms, Shoji is typically used against windows because the paper used for Shoji is usually white and translucent so that natural light penetrates the room. Shoji has sheets of washi paper on a wooden lattice frame and is also used as a door or room divider. In addition to dividing and decorating spaces, Fusuma also protects from the cold in winter and from the heat in summer for it which has a function of thermal insulation. Today, Fusuma is mostly made with washi paper or fabric. At first silk was used to cover a wooden frame for Fusuma, but after paper was introduced to Japan from China, silk was replaced with Japanese paper called washi. By the end of the Heian Period (794-1185), Fusuma in a form of sliding doors appeared in the houses of aristocrats. Prior to the 7th century, screens were used to separate spaces in Japanese houses. For example, Fusuma art in Nijo Castle, Nanzenji Temple, Daitokuji Temple Jukoin, and Chishakuin Temple in Kyoto are very famous and some are designated as National Treasures. Fusuma are also considered as decoration of the room and there are a number of masterpieces preserved to date especially in castles, temples and shrines. Shoji and Fusuma are sliding doors in Japanese traditional houses.įusuma are used to divide large rooms into smaller private rooms. Tokonoma is a wooded rectangular space which is usually decorated with a Japanese scroll displaying a painting or calligraphy, seasonal flower arrangement and/or other ornaments. In ryokan (Japanese traditional inn), temples, and shrines, tatami are used in most of the rooms.Ī room with tatami flooring can have a decoration space called tokonoma. Today houses in Japan have few rooms with tatami flooring, however, tatami mats are still an important component of Japanese architecture. By the 17th century, it was common that all rooms in a house were tatami-floored. Over the centuries, tatami were gradually popularized and reached the homes of samurai, ruling nobility, and common people. Tatami used to be used only for the highest aristocrats during the Heian Period (794-1185). Normally tatami mats are ordered to fit the room size. Most tatami mat is about 0.9 meters by 1.8 meters, although the size can vary depending on the region. However, nowadays, tatami sometimes have compressed wood chip boards or polystyrene foam cores. Tatami are traditionally made of rice straw covered with woven soft rush straw. In traditional Japanese rooms, tatami mats are always used as a flooring material. Especially Japanese cypress can be used for a bathtub because the scent of the wood has benefits to relax and even proven to kill bacteria. These woods are appreciated not only for their durability and sturdiness but also for their natural scents. Japanese cypress, cherry, Japanese cedar, and Japanese zelkova are the most used types of wood for buildings. The knots in woods are typically considered as decoration. Since ancient times, wood was given great respect by Japanese people and not covered by paint or other coatings when used for buildings. That’s partly because of wood’s ability of absorbing moisture and Japanese traditional carpentry which allows them to build the buildings without using any nails and developed strong earthquake resistance. The oldest wooden architecture in Japan is Horyuji temple which is built in the 7th century, and you can still see the beautiful temple after a long history of earthquakes and natural disasters. Wood is the most preferred material for Japanese traditional buildings due to the constant earthquake.
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