Making Shoji [Paperback]

Toshio Odate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2000

The construction of shoji-Japanese sliding doors-requires intricate skills and attention to detail. This guide to creating shoji brings together both traditional insight and technical mastery of the craft from the perspective of an apprenticed sliding-door maker. Step-by-step instructions, illustrated with photos of each work in progress, give detailed information on how to construct both common shoji and Japanese transom (a piece found between rooms and above sliding doors). The correct use of Japanese tools is discussed, as are techniques for marking lines, making specific joints and handles, using rice glue, and applying shoji paper.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Toshio Odate gives seminars on Japanese woodworking throughout the United States and Europe. He has written articles for Fine Woodworking Magazine, American Woodworker, and Woodshop News and is the author of Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit and Use. He lives in Woodbury, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 119 pages
• Publisher: Linden Pub (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941936473
• ISBN-13: 978-0941936477
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art On Purpose, June 7, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Making Shoji (Paperback)

If you ever want to be deeply impressed with the human ingenuity take a look at this book. The lowly shoji door, is a commonplace in Japanese homes. Not just as doors, but as windows and room dividers. And each is a work of art, put together by craftspeople like Toshio Odata using the same tools they did a thousand years ago.

For the woodworker this book is a detailed study of the techniques and processes involved in creating an object that is simple in its concept and incredibly complex in it's potential. To the student of Japanese culture the book is a vivid tour of the philosophy and commitment that underlie many of the simple, traditional factors of their lives, from doors to teacups. An insight into some of their aesthetic underpinnings.

Homeowners in Japan would collect and age wood, especially for their houses. Then an itinerant craftsman would take up residence for the time needed, building both his workshop and then features expected of him. All the tools he used must be easily portable and capable of work both delicate and massive. For a true master, an intricate door would take a day, despite being made completely from scratch.

Odate combines instruction with anecdote, while the photographs and diagrams are easy to follow. Compared to the traditional way a Japanese learned carpentry (by 'peeking' at the master) this book is a gift for those who want to master the Japanese toolset. For someone like me, who is used to modern machinery and automation, the book is a lesson in humility as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent buy!, September 15, 2010

By 

Western Ink - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Shoji (Paperback)

Are you interested in how Japanese shoji are made in Japan? Then this book is an excellent reference. I read it through and through and though it looks complicated for an amateur like me, it still made me want to try to build my own.

3.0 out of 5 stars Older book, but helpful, January 8, 2012

By 

Al S. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Shoji (Kindle Edition)

I purchased this book (kindle edition) while serving in Japan doing Tsunami relief with a Christian organization. While there I became very impressed and intrigued with the amazing shoji panels and transoms I saw while doing home renovations. I thought that shoji making could be added to my woodworking and cabinetry business upon returning to the States. So before I left I purchased the book to learn more about shoji panel construction and determine if there might be any special tools needed; tools I could purchase before leaving.

For someone with a moderate to high level of woodworking experience the book does not add an abundance of new information. Insight into the Japanese woodworkers mind as to their regard to wood was certainly appreciated. While working in Japan I learnt that most wood items in the homes were highly revered. The author helps to explain such mentality.

General Western fine woodworking tools would be adequate to accomplish the shoji panels. The author does lay out some special techniques and jigs that would be needed in the building the panels, which was most helpful. While in Japan I was most impressed with the intricate geometric and flower designs of the transom panels. The author does delve into that arena with a basic geometric pattern. His instruction really helps one to understand the intricacies and time involved to accomplish building one such panel. However, most of the book covers the basics of shoji panels, something the accomplished woodworker should be able to figure out on his own. Having been in the trades for over 30 years there was not much new for me. But for the beginner and intermediate, it should be a book that would help, should you desire to make shoji panels.