Japanese Doors

Featured Japanese Door Types

• Shoji: The iconic door, window, or room divider with a rice paper (washi) skin over a lattice frame. They perfectly diffuse natural light, often replacing windows and verandah doors in older homes.

• Fusuma: These delicate sliding panels serve as room partitions or doors. Traditionally adorned with painted landscapes or animal scenes, they run on wooden rails and can be re-purposed into cupboard doors or hinged screens.

• Yoshido (Summer Reed Door): Also known as a summer door, this type allows cool breezes to ventilate the home, replacing Shoji and Fusuma during warmer months. They are ideal for creating lightweight, airy screens.

• Kōshido (Kohshido): A sliding lattice door frequently found at the entrance. Its slats offer a balance of privacy and transparency while deterring intruders, commonly seen outside traditional Kyoto machiya townhouses.

• Kura do: A heavy, strong door used to secure storerooms containing valuable items. Their substantial size and impressive strength make them unique statement pieces, even used as dining table tops.

• Itado (Plank Door): A solid door, often constructed from a single cross-section of timber, living up to its name, which translates simply to plank door.