shoji

/shoh"zhee, -jee/, n., pl. shoji, shojis.

a light screen consisting of a framework of wood covered with paper or other translucent material, used originally in Japanese homes as one of a series of sliding panels between the interior and exterior or between two interior spaces.

[1875-80; < Japn shoji, earlier shauji < MChin, equiv. to Chin zhàngzi fence]

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In Japanese architecture, sliding partition doors and windows made of a latticework wooden frame and covered with a tough, translucent white paper.

When closed, they softly diffuse light throughout the house. In summer they can be slid back or removed, opening the house to the outside

a desirable arrangement in Japan because of the extreme humidity. Shōji are a feature of the shoin-zukuri style.

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▪ Japanese architecture

Japanese  Shōji, 

      in Japanese architecture, sliding outer partition doors and windows made of a latticework wooden frame and covered with a tough, translucent white paper. When closed, they softly diffuse light throughout the house.

      In summer they are often removed completely, opening the house to the outside—a desirable arrangement in Japan because of the extreme humidity. The shoji is a feature of the shoin (shoin-zukuri) style, which first appeared in the Kamakura period (1192–1333).

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