Japanese Sliding Doors

The Japanese culture has never fail to amaze people across the globe. From high tech gadgets to unique architectural designs, more and more people are going gaga over Japanese products. In the field of interior design, the Japanese culture is quite visible because of the use of Japanese sliding doors.

Also called “fusuma” or “shoji” by the native tongue, Japanese sliding doors are becoming quite popular in most households because they are unique and real space savers. Used to separate individual rooms from the others and from the hallways as well in traditional Japanese homes, today fusuma/shoji are used as doors in a modern house setting.

In Japan, fusuma or Japanese sliding doors are usually related to the craft called “tategu.” These can be associated with other forms and kinds of home fixtures and interior decors that include shoji screens and genkan doors as well as Japanese window panels and doors.

In traditional Japanese architecture, Japanese sliding doors usually refer to solid perpendicular four-sided figures that can slide from one side to another. This is popular because it can redefine a certain space from the other can act as a door at the same time. Fusuma doors usually measuring 3 X 6 in width and height but have increased in length over time. Made of wooden frame that is covered with cardboard and layer of colored papers, what makes Japanese sliding doors truly unique is that they have indented and roundel handle in its door and a black polished border.

Aside from being unique in terms of design, Japanese sliding doors appeal to many people because they are designed with exquisite paintings of scenery and nature, authentic kabuki fans, sakura or cherry blossoms, samurai graphics and other geometric designs. But today, to make the Japanese sliding doors cater to different age brackets, gender, race, or religion, many designs are industrially printed on plain rice papers. They can even be customized via order if you want to give it as a present or gift to specific person.

Japanese sliding doors are not only exclusive to fusuma. The other type is known as a shoji, which is less popular. Shoji is usually made of sheer or translucent papers that also serve as a room divider or screen. This type is more popular in the West especially when it comes with the tatami straw mats, which is a staple in a simple Japanese room.

If you are looking for Japanese sliding doors for your house, you may want to consider the following:

1. Design. To achieve the uniqueness and authenticity of Japanese culture through sliding doors, make sure that you choose something with a timeless design. The best option for this are those doors that depict the scenery of the ancient Japan. By choosing an authentic design in Japanese sliding doors, your room can be easily transformed into a typical Japanese home.

2. Multi-function feature. If you are planning to buy a Japanese sliding door, choose those that have double tracks on its slides and those that can be used not only as a room separator but also in other spaces of the house such as kitchen, living room, and patio.

3. Make sure that it is puncture resistant and has a surface that can be easily wiped. In choosing a Japanese sliding door, opt for those that cannot be punctured easily to ensure that it will last for a long period time. Also, opt for those that you can easily wiped to save you some time in cleaning it.

4. Double check if it has top and bottom tracks as well as intact doorjambs in the right and left.

5. Choose those that are crafted from lightweight, durable, exquisitely varnished Spruce. This will ensure the authentic look of your Japanese sliding doors.