A Japanese Lighting Techniques 02

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Lighting Techniques 02


Shoji

We have already seen how shoji can serve as a room partition. It can also serve as a kind of wall illumination. Depending on light conditions, shoji can reflect light to make a room brighter or be used to produce a beautiful silhouette effect when shadows are created by the lattice frame of the shoji or trees outside. As has been mentioned already, the shoji can be suspended as a partition-wall, with a spotlight shining on it from behind. 8mm films or slides can be projected onto the side without the wooden frame. When not required, the shoji can be hung on the wall out of the way, or in front of a window instead of a curtain. Another idea is to fix a light bulb onto a wall and then put a small shoji-like panel in front of it, or, something like a Japanese kite can also be interesting. If a kite is used, the lighting efficiency can be improved by inclining it slightly, either upwards or downwards. This can be easily mounted and held in place with thick wire.


Andon/Chochin

The andon is usually placed on the floor, though it can also be stood on a desk or a shelf. The basic pattern is to have a hollow, upright wooden frame around the sides of which a shade made of shoji paper is affixed, leaving the ends open to allow heat to escape. This is then mounted on a stand. Although the andon could be moved from room to room indoors, it was not intended for use as a kind of torch to be carried around all the time. When going outdoors, the Japanese used a chochin, a portable lantern made of thin bamboo cane wound into a spiral, to the outside of which paper was glued. As it could be folded flat, it was easily portable. Later, chochin came to be hung on shop fronts, bearing the symbol or name of the shop, and thus can be seen as one of the first forms of suspended lighting in Japan. Although the use of andon has sadly become only a novelty, chochin still thrive, especially in the entertainment districts of cities, and one can see large red chochin outside places serving Japanese food.

Chochin are ideal for use at garden parties. Both the chochin and the electric cord can be suspended in a line, from a wire running from one tree to the next. Or instead of electricity, candles can be used, as was the case with the original chochin. Chochin can also be hung as illumination from the eaves of a veranda.

Lighting techniques for the alcove