Shoji
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A shoji is a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent sheets on a lattice frame. Where light transmission is not needed, the similar but opaque
Shoji paper sliding doors in the Rinshunkaku at Sankei-en (Important Cultural Property)
Shoji doors next to the tokonoma alcove, Rinshunkaku
A tatami room surrounded by paper shoji (paper outside, lattice inside). The shoji are surrounded by an engawa (porch/corridor); the engawa is surrounded by garasu-do, all-glass sliding panels.
A complex kumiko frame, open
Engawa
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An engawa or en is an edging strip of non-tatami-matted flooring in Japanese architecture, usually wood or bamboo. The en may run around the rooms, on the outside of the building, in which case they f
Shoji
…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 (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…
A Meiji era engawa bearing a resemblance to a veranda, with people for scale. Note the slope of the ground under the engawa, and the traditional stone step.
Engawa, with sliding glass doors outside, and yukimi shōji (shōji with both paper and glass panes) inside. The solid wood amado leaning up against the corner is a storm shutter, and is usually stored away.
A temple in Kyoto with, from top to bottom, hiro-en, ochi-en, and nure'en. Note that part of the hiro-en is enclosed. Drainage provision is obvious.
Mawari-en, an en which continues all around the building