sugido 杉戸

Also called sugishōji 杉障子. Doors made of Japanese cedar. Sugido constructed in the shoin style *shoin-zukuri 書院造 are sliding doors made of either single panels of smooth cedar or multiple panels of straight-grained cedar. When used at the entrance of a building or between a straw mat *tatami 畳 veranda and the exterior veranda *nure-en 濡縁, the panels are set in frames, and sometimes decorated with paintings (see *sugido-e 杉戸絵), or with handsome metal door-pulls. Interior doors needing an especially elegant appearance are set in black lacquer frames and decorated with paintings of birds and flowers. Another method of treating the surface of the panels is to rub them with sand to make them look rough.