Tsuitate, or room dividers, are a precious traditional Japanese craft that can be used functionally, to separate a room into multiple parts, or as a decorative accent. Because it's a piece that can serve multiple functions at once, it's important to pick the perfect item for your tastes and requirements. Here, we introduce several different Japanese room dividers, including items made from bamboo or natural wood. We've included our scores for each item, comprehensively taking into account materials, price, and other factors.
1. Oriental Furniture 3 ft. Tall Double Sided Sakura Blossoms Canvas Room Divider
Score: ★★★☆☆
A room divider with a design of sakura (cherry blossoms) bathed in sunlight, a romantic image and the quintessential image of spring in Japan. It boasts excellent functionality, as it's made of strong materials and an air-permeable canvas.
2. Partition, 3 Rows, Bamboo Screen
Score: ★★★☆☆
A room divider that uses natural wood for the frame and bamboo for the interior. It lets through enough of a breeze that it allows you to feel cool in the summertime. The design might be considered too basic for some, but it means the partition can blend into any room. It's available in four sizes, so you can find the one that fits your room best.
3. Double Row Partition Room Divider Hemp Fabric H132cm Scandinavian Cat Pattern Made in Japan
Score: ★★★☆☆
A room divider made with high-quality hemp, while the frame is made of natural wood. Hemp is aesthetically pleasing, giving off a high-quality feel, but also functional as it's moisture-absorbing, quick-drying, and durable. The cute cat design gives it personality as well! It's a two-panel partition, meaning it doesn't work for large open areas, but it can be used in entrance ways or washrooms and doesn't take up much space.
4. 3 Row Partition Room Divider H132 cm Brown Made in Japan
Score: ★★★★☆
Made by the same brand as the above item. The subdued brown color can work in Western- or Japanese-style rooms, including those with an Asian accent. The rounded shape of the frame also contributes to its gentle, unimposing aura. There are three panels, meaning it's long enough to work well as a room divider.
5. Screen / Folding / Partition Akita Cedar Lattice Screen 4 Parts
Score: ★★★★☆
A room divider made out of natural cedar wood from Akita Prefecture, known as one of Japan's three most beautiful forests. Cedar wood from Akita Prefecture has very fine grains, making it very strong with few irregularities, which is why it has long been used in home furnishings. The chic brown color and the spaces in the design give this item a relaxing feel.
6. Made in Japan Low Stylish 4 Row Natural Shoji Japanese Room Divider Screen Partition Interior Screen
Score: ★★★★☆
A room divider in the style of "shoji." "Shoji" is a type of door, window, or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, where a lattice frame of thin wood is covered by a thin, translucent sheet of paper. Usually Japanese paper (washi) is used, but this product uses a different, stronger non-woven material that is harder to tear. Put up some indirect lighting to fill the room interior with a warm light.
7. Bon Furnishings Japanese Style Partition, Divider, Screen, 4 Rows, Natural
Score: ★★★★☆
A wooden room divider with a simple design. It's quite weighty, which makes it difficult for one person to carry on their own, but its significant height and length make it an excellent partition. It's structured like a blind, meaning you can fine-tune how much air and light gets through, making it a highly functional item.
8. Ultraman Mt. Fuji Folding Screen (With Rim)
Score: ★★★★★
A gold-leaf room divider made by Ominato Bunkichi Shoten, Co., a divider company with 100 years of history. The design, made in collaboration with the watercolorist Takumi Yoza, represents the popular Japanese action figure Ultraman. Yoza uses a very unique technique that combines watercolors with digital tools, and this creativity shines through in every part of this item. A must-have for enthusiasts!
9. Ultra Seven Shochikuume Folding Screen (Without Rim)
Score: ★★★★★
This comes from the same "Ultraman Seven Series" as the above item. It depicts Ultraman in his signature pose that any fan would recognize, while the bottom depicts plum blossoms, adding a flavor of Japan. The gold leaf is added one by one and by hand, making it rather pricey, but you can't match its gravitas and classiness.
10. Ultraman Folding Screen
Score: ★★★★★
This item is most suitable for being a piece of interior design. It's smaller than the two items above, and it can be placed on the ground or hung on the wall to be appreciated as art. It's made from natural materials such as wood and washi paper, and looking at the patterns of the fibers up close adds another dimension to this product's beauty.
Related articles:
▶ 10 Japanese Futon & Tatami Mats and Rugs Where You Can Rest and Rejuvenate
▶ 25 Japanese Crafts That Best Combine Modernity and Art
▶ The Complete Guide to Traditional Japanese Crafts
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*These products may not be able to be shipped to certain countries. Please see the retailer's website for more information.
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.