Professional Documents
Culture Documents
B y T o s h i o O dat e
T
he kōshi-do form (a latticed door) paper. However, my master said he’d for many other sliding doors, dividers
has existed since ancient times also seen oilpaper used. Before glass and partitions. Today, however, most
in Japanese temples, and has became popular in Western society, Japanese entrance kōshi-do have glass
long been used to divide the exterior oilpaper was commonly used for exte- instead of paper.
and interior, and sometimes as a room rior windows and doors. Because of the I believe it was in the late 1800s that
divider. predominant style of the Western house common flat glass was introduced to
In the last century, the use of these (which had a very short roof overhang) Japan – so using glass in a Japanese
lattice-style panels in contemporary the exterior doors and windows were house started not too long ago. The
housing has flourished in many parts exposed to rain and snow. The oilpaper combination of the Japanese crafts-
and places. Kōshi-do evolved in style let light go through while repelling man’s wisdom and ingenuity made it
and designs immensely, especially en- some water and moisture. possible to apply glass to the traditional
trance doors. Because of its origin in Oilpaper was rarely used in Japan. I doors without changing or destroying
history and its place in ancient temple had never seen it. Because the Japanese the original form and structure.
entrances, today these rolling doors house overhang was commonly much
represent to some extent a family’s deeper than its Western counterpart, Return Home
higher social status. doors and windows were more pro- I emigrated to America in 1958 and re-
In the early 1950s I saw kōshi-do of tected from rain and snow. Also, the turned to Japan for my first visit in 1969.
all sizes with lattice and white shoji Japanese use the same white shoji paper I then saw that Japan had undergone
Problem solving. Dimensions for the four panels are worked out with a
sketch on the chalkboard.
Smooth inside. The roku-dai kanna is used to smooth the inside faces All at once. The lattice pieces are clamped together and marked for
of the stiles. length.
a great face-lift during those 11 years. do not think my brother knew why. changes. Many other farmers soon fol-
A big concrete highway resembling a During World War II, Japan was lowed his example. The work started
gigantic serpent meandered through struck by a dreadful food shortage; city at the entrance to his home, which
the middle of Tokyo. I did not see much dwellers would take their belongings had one large wooden door, just like a
subtle regimentation in the change. It to exchange them for rice, potatoes and Western barn door, with two wooden
was not only in Tokyo but all the way other food. Eventually, farmers became wheels, about 7" in diameter, that ran
into the deep countryside. It seemed rich. Finally the war ended and soon in a wide grooved track. In the right
like many things had changed for the thereafter the new government freed corner there was a small door.
better – but also that many things farmers from the feudal-like system by Often one finds this door with
changed just for the sake of change. agrarian reform. wooden panels, however, Magobei’s
My brother had a new house, and the It was the first time in Japanese had a short lattice sliding door with
entrance with kōshi-do looked very nice history that common farmers turned white shoji paper to let light through.
and neat with a dark wood grain. When suddenly extremely rich, and now they This door is called kuguri-do or “go
I advanced closer to the entrance door, wanted to live as rich land owners once through-door.” First we removed the
I noticed to my surprise that it was not did. The farmers began to renovate their large door and reformed the large open-
wood; the lattice was made complete- houses with new entrance doors and ing to a 6' x 6' entrance. The head of
ly out of aluminum. My brother was exterior shoji. Magobei’s household then went into the
watching my face.“Nobody is making
or using the kōshi-do with wood any Learning Experience “No ideas are intelligible to
longer. It would be too expensive and In a small village near Tokyo, my master those who have no backing of
it’s now much easier to clean,” he said and I were working during that period, experience.”
with a big smile on his face, as if telling and my first day as an apprentice was
—D. T. Suzuki (1870-1966),
me I was way behind modern Japanese at the farmer Magobei’s house. He was Japanese author
culture. Sadness filled my body, but I the first in his village to apply these
popularwoodworking.com ■ 49
storehouse and returned with several though; I was always exhausted and pieces at the same time and the lattice
Sawara-itawari. collecting mounds of plane shavings pieces were quite thin; it seemed all so
Sawara wood is related to the Hinoki with a pleasant, sweet aroma. fragile in which to make through-mor-
cypress family; its heart has a strong tises. I was in the middle of my work
yellow color and it has a very pleasant, Danger of Distraction when the chisel got stuck. I pressed
sweet aroma. Itawari were planks of After Magobei’s kōshi-do, my master down with my right hand on all five
wood that used to be a Japanese stan- and I made many pairs for houses in lattices with my open palm, flat and
dard, with a thickness of 13 ⁄ 8" and the village and nearby small towns wide. I grabbed the chisel-handle with
sometimes 11 ⁄2", and of random width during the next few years. I remember my left hand tightly and yanked it out.
and length, commonly 6' or longer. one incident very clearly. It was a hot The chisel came out and at that moment
I helped farmer Magobei bring the summer day. A three-day village fes- the sharp edge gouged out the middle
planks down from the attic. There I tival was taking place and the young of my forearm.
cleaned off the dust and laid them down village boys and girls were wearing The chisel was still in my hand with
side by side on a straw mat. Every one clean yukata or summer kimonos. Most a little piece of flesh on the cutting edge.
of them was clean and clear, without of them were about my age, 16 to 17 Blood oozed from the fresh wound. Im-
any defect. He said he had sliced them years old. I was working with a sweat mediately I pinched fine sawdust to fill
more than 30 years ago for the entrance under the hot sun; honestly, I did not the cavity, then tore the bottom of my
door. He had plenty of that material for want to work that day. I was making shirt and taped my wounded forearm
the two kōshi-do. 1 ⁄4" x 3 ⁄4" through-mortises on lattice; very tightly.
I do not remember much of the be- I had to make 69 of them. No matter what, I could not waste
ginning of my apprenticeship; I just I was using my master’s 1 ⁄4"-mortise any time. I was certain that my master
kept myself busy moving non-stop and chisel because I did not yet have my knew my chisel was stuck, even though
made myself useful at any time, any mo- own. It was a very short, well-used, he was working 20'-30' away from me.
ment. I do remember the end of the day, beautiful chisel. I was mortising five He detected all my movements, includ-
Groove for glass. The shakuri kanna (plow plane) is used to form a nar-
Cutting flush. The vertical shoulders of the tenon are sawn. row groove for the glass panels.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 51
No turning back. Glue is applied and the
Becoming ready. All the parts for one panel are arranged before assembly. panel is clamped together.
Finishing
touches. A slot
is cut in the bot-
tom of the stile,
allowing it to
clear the rail.
Sweeping up. Take time between stages of the project to sweep up the
chips and shavings.
Alaskan cedar. Have you ever used it However, I have a 12' opening, so I de- Now, I’ve finally fulfilled the dream
before?” I looked at it and smelled the cided to make four panels. When I reno- begun in my apprenticeship 65 years
beautiful scent. vated the little studio, I also made an ago. PWM
I told him about the episode from entrance opening at the side, 6'-2" high
years ago, then he gave the plank to x 12' wide. There I will make a differ- Toshio Odate finished his apprenticeship and came
me. I did not know much about the ent style glass door. I made traditional to the United States in 1958. Since then he has writ-
ten books about Japanese tools and making shoji,
wood; I had used it to make just one Japanese sliding glass door track for taught woodworking and sculpture. He continues to
little propeller. But I decided that some- both entrances. work in his Connecticut studio.
day I’d like to make my kōshi-do with About seven or eight years ago, one
Alaskan cedar. of my friends told me of a nearby lumber Online Extras
More years passed, and I renovated company that carries Alaskan cedar, so I
For links to all online extras, go to:
my little studio that I call “Japanese went. They had 1"- and 2"-thick planks ■ popularwoodworking.com/oct13
studio.” There, I only use hand tools, that were 11" wide and 16' long. I bought
slide show: More photos of Toshio Odate at
and mostly traditional Japanese tools. both sizes, just enough for four doors. work on the kōshi-do are available online.
My studio is a lot like a typical Japanese And I purchased door wheels from Ja-
plans: A 3D SketchUp model and some PDF
workshop, if perhaps a bit larger. The pan. Now I was ready to make my dream drawings are available online.
front opening is 6'-2" high x 12' wide. It doors and a different design glass door
To buy: “Japanese Tools & Joinery,” a video
was the perfect place to make use of the for the far side opening. by Jay Van Arsdale, is available in our store.
kōshi-do I’d long been wanting to make. I made the four kōshi-do with glass
Our products are available online at:
The Japanese house’s usual front in 2011; the photographs show some ■ ShopWoodworking.com
entrance is 6' x 6' with two 3' x 6' doors. of the process.