- Paperback: 119 pages
- Publisher: Stobart Davies Ltd (1 Aug 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0854420908
- ISBN-13: 978-0854420902
- Product Dimensions: 27.8 x 21.2 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 559,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
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. Step-by-step instructions, illustrated by photographs of every stage, show readers how to prepare materials, lay out joints, cut the parts, and assemble two shoji projects: the common sliding screen with hipboard, and an intricate transom featuring the beautiful "asanoha" pattern. Technical chapters cover the Japanese mortis-and-tenon joint and home-made rice glue. Drawing upon his unusual life, Odate also intersperses the text with moving anecdotes of his somtimes harsh apprenticeship in post-War Japan.
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First Sentence
Japanese woodworkers believe in , treat, and appreciate wood as a living material. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Japanese woodworkers believe in , treat, and appreciate wood as a living material. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
Format:Paperback
Wonderfully written with deep insight into the life of Japanese woodworkers, a life now mostly history. Not just detailed description of the equisite work, but being an apprentice and working as a roving craftsman. The author is warm hearted, amusing, and honest.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Art On Purpose
7 Jun 2004
Format: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
Excellent buy!
15 Sep 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
A personal account by a humble master
25 Feb 2012
Format:Paperback
If you are a power tool junkie in search of more ways to shred large quantities of lumber quickly then you might be disappointed with this book. It is a very personal account of a master craftsman who bridged the gap between the old ways of Japan and the modern automated society. As such it is a very nicely written book that interleaves personal anecdotes and philosophy with discussions of history, materials, examples of shoji construction and lots of invaluable tricks of the trade. The latter are likely to appeal to all woodworkers who value craftsmanship using hand tools over the speed of power tools.
This book has a very different flavor from another well known book on the topic by van Arsdale. Perhaps it is a personal thing but I like this one a whole lot more, in large part because one can truly sense the spirit of the craftsman. Spirit is essential to men like Odate and perhaps not surprisingly so. The traditional 7 year apprenticeship started with a year of not being allowed to touch tools and instead absorbing the master's craft by osmosis - and keen observations out of the corner of the eye.
This book has a very different flavor from another well known book on the topic by van Arsdale. Perhaps it is a personal thing but I like this one a whole lot more, in large part because one can truly sense the spirit of the craftsman. Spirit is essential to men like Odate and perhaps not surprisingly so. The traditional 7 year apprenticeship started with a year of not being allowed to touch tools and instead absorbing the master's craft by osmosis - and keen observations out of the corner of the eye.
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