NIPPON Kichi - 日本吉

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2007/10/17


京すだれ Kyou-sudare Kyosudare

Jp En

Kyosudare is a hand-woven bamboo blind, which is known as a luxury item. Today, most of these handmade blinds are made in Kyoto. It is a traditional furnishing item to create a cool and elegant atmosphere.

The origin of Kyosudare is Misu (literally meaning “Holy Blind”), an indispensable item at the Imperial Palace in the Heian period (794-1192). Since Misu were forbidden to be used for the homes of the townspeople, they used bamboo blinds with no edgings.

Bamboo blinds have been passed down through the ages as an art craft in Kyoto, where there are many shrines, temples, restaurants and other traditional places. After the Meiji period (1868-1912), the square angular bamboo rods became rounded and Zashiki-sudare (an interior blind), which had edges on all four sides, came to be known as Kyosudare and spread nationwide.

The reed blinds, whose materials come from the eastern shore of Lake Biwa, are thought to be especially of high-quality. Its practicality as a partition and sun shade and its charming design has made it a popular product, which has been exported to the West as well.
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2007/4/12


旧真野家住宅 Kyushinnokejutaku Former House of Shinno Family

Jp En

This farmhouse is presumed to have been built in the late 17th century or even earlier. Very old architectural style is used for this house. The three sides of the housed except the front are huge walls with a thickness of more than 20 cm. The lath used on top of rafters is made of round bamboo and other miscellaneous wood. The house has two main transverse beams, which are supported by pillars. Horizontal beams are used at two points to support the main transverse beams instead of the pillars when removed to and reconstructed at the present place. All the other pillars stand in the original forms. The pillars are made of square timbers of the same size, which were scarped with chona (a Japanese hand ax) and finished with a planer. The inner room called “dei” has an alcove, which was very rare in those days. As is seen in old-fashioned houses, the heavy lintels are used instead of tie beams to fit around pillars. To get less air circulation for the sake of warmth, doma (the earth floor space) and the adjacent room are partitioned with a wood door with a lattice window and the store room has a single sliding door.
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2007/2/13


格子 Koushi Koshi

Jp En

In Japanese, the word 'koshi' is a mathematical term for equidistant segments and dividers. Generally, though, koshi is used to represent lattice doors or iron grates.

From olden times, Japanese lattice doors were doors of temple-style architecture. This changed during the late Heian period when double sliding doors became more popular. Black laquered sliding lattice doors are described in the 'Tale of Genji Picture Scroll' and the 'Annual Event Picture Scroll'.

Lattice doors can separate spaces, ventilate rooms, take in light and make rooms look more beautiful, all at the same time. All of these things connect to the introduction of shoji: paper sliding doors.
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2006/12/17


大阪金剛簾 Osaka-kongou-sudare Osaka Kongo Bamboo Blinds

Jp En

The making of the hanging bamboo blinds called sudare dates back to Heian period (794−1192). It is referred to in the Manyoshu. The origin of sudare is said to be misu, which was used as a partition or interior decoration at the imperial court. The making of sudare at Osaka district started at Shindo Village (a part of the present Tondabayashi City) in around 1655. Since quality bamboo is obtained at the foot of a local peak of Mt. Kongo, this area has been known for the making of sudare. Even now only natural bamboo is used. The making process is roughly divided into three steps, that is, making the splints, binding, and fitting. All the process is done by hand in the traditional way, because each natural bamboo has different color and reed space, so only a human can distinguish the subtle differences, which is indispensable to make a product attractive. Osaka Kongo sudare is being love by people even now for its taste, aroma, and utility.
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