The construction of shoji - Japanese sliding doors and screens - requires great skill and attention to detail. However the task is within the reach of amateur woodworkers. Toshio Odate provides the necessary guidance and skills needed to tackle this traditional craft with confidence.

Japanese-style shoji screens are translucent, wooden-lattice panels that subtly transform light and space and add an elegant touch to any decor. This book contains all the information you need to design and make shoji for your own home or apartment. Features: Notes on aesthetics and design fundamentals Complete how-to guide covering basic construction methods, screen materials, and wood selection Home projects, including window inserts, sliding and hanging screens, glass panel shoji, double- and single-sided shoji, skylight shoji, decorative wall boxes, and floor and table lanterns Introduction to Japanese hand tools and planing and joinery techniques Sample lattice patterns, photographs, and line drawings for design and remodeling ideas List of suppliers

Book 4 Diamond Patterns is the fourth book in the Shoji and Kumiko Design series, and follows on seamlessly from Book 3 Hexagonal Patterns. In Book 4, Des King gives detailed instructions on making 31 stunning patterns in the diamond (hishi-gata) jigumi arrangement, including the spectacular yotsu-kude four-way joint and tombo dragonfly pattern.More than 350 photographs and diagrams guide you at each stage on making these patterns using tools found in any Western workshop, and simple shop-made jigs. As with Books 1, 2 and 3, no specialized tools are required for any of the patterns covered in Book 4.

An in-depth portrait of the life and work of Shoji Hamada, one of the key figures behind the development of studio pottery in the 20th century, and the legacy he left. Shoji Hamada was one of the seminal figures in 20th century ceramics. Along with the British potter Bernard Leach, he was instrumental in the development of the international Studio Pottery movement in the early 1900s. Their dramatic influences are still felt today, particularly in the United States and Great Britain. Hamada, also a major figure in Japan's folk art revival, was designated a 'Living National Treasure' by the Japanese government in 1955 and awarded the Order of Culture in 1968. Shoji Hamada is an ebullient and fascinating portrait of a great potter, tracing his place in the ceramic tradition and revealing a keen perception of his energetic lifestyle, dazzling work cycle, and intriguing specifics about the firing of his kilns. The text and over 200 new colour photographs from Peterson's stay at Hamada's compound in 1970 present a wealth of detail about techniques and processes. Equally important are the author's insights depicting Hamada's bequest to us: one whose life was concentrated toward the perpetuation and achievement of fundamental, unchanging and universal values and goals. In this completely re-designed and updated version of her classic book, Susan Peterson brings together the East-West connection personified by Hamada and Leach. In a completely new concluding chapter, she assesses Hamada's ongoing legacy to the world of studio pottery. This is an authoritative account of one of the towering figures in the ceramics world by one of the first people to welcome him to America in the early 1950s. The book is a must for anyone interested in the evolvement of hand pottery and the dynamics of ceramics in general.

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.

Book 3 Hexagonal Patterns is the third and final book in the Shoji and Kumiko Design series, and follows on seamlessly from Book 2 - Beyond the Basics. In Book 3, Des King gives detailed, step-by-step instructions on making 45 stunning patterns in the hexagonal jigumi arrangement, ranging from the very simple, to the highly complex and extremely difficult. More than 500 photographs and diagrams guide you at each stage on making these patterns using tools found in any Western workshop, and simple shop-made jigs. As with Book 1 and Book 2, no specialised tools are required for any of the patterns covered in Book 3. The patterns in this book are indeed items of art, and can be applied in a broad range of furniture and artistic designs to set your work apart from all others.