A couple years ago, longtime Make: author
Len Cullum came to my house to purchase
a pile of granite cobbles that I had left over
from a driveway project.We chatted a bit and
found thatwe shared an affinity for Japanese
aesthetics.I gave him a copy of a little instruction
booklet I had made on how to construct a shiorido
tea garden gate, which he later shared with the
folks atMake:magazine.
Many years ago, at an instructional class at
the Portland Japanese Garden, I had made a
shiorido, but that gate is long gone.So I told
Make: I’d build another one, so that you can see
the actual finished product.Thedesignof the
gate is not mine.It is a traditional and ubiquitous
design, long used throughout Japan.
A shiorido is a very simple light partition inside
a garden made by wrapping thin strips of
bamboo sheath around a rectangular frame of
fine round bamboo poles, weaving the strips
into a diamond-shaped pattern. The name
shiorido, or “bent branch door,” comes from
the bending of the strips of bamboo sheath
around the frame.
—Isao Yoshikawa, The Bamboo Fences of Japan
It’s a simple and rewarding build that looks
beautiful in your yard or garden. Once you’ve
finished making the frame from bamboo poles,
also known as canes or culms, you’ll apply the
lattice-work of split green bamboo sheathing.
For that, you’ll need to search out culms of thin-
walled green bamboo, which can be difficult to
source, but you’ll find some eventually.
WORKING WITH BAMBOO
• Wear heavy leather gloves when splitting
bamboo.
• Place all vertical bamboo to match the
direction of natural growth. Observe a
node to determine direction (Figure
A
).
• Check poles for “zigzag.” Place zigzag in
line of sight with the viewer to hide it.
MAKE YOUR SHIORIDO
BAMBOO GATE
To see how the professional folks do this work
in Japan, please watch this YouTube video from
TIME REQUIRED:
2–3 Days
DIFFICULTY:
Intermediate
COST:
$100–$200
MATERIALS
» Bamboo poles, 8' long: about 1¼" diameter
(1) and ¾" diameter (2) green or recently
dried, but not cracked
» Bamboo poles, green, 12' long, 1½"–2"
diameter (2) Green poles are not always
available. Call your bamboo supplier to make
sure they have stock or can order some for you.
» Twine or rope, black, 3mm-4mm diameter,
about 50' length The rope can be of hemp,
sisal, jute,or palm, and should be dyedblack,
e.g. Amazon B07D1W15TL.
TOOLS
» Heavy leather gloves
» Drill and twist bits: ¼", ⁄"
» Hole saw or Forstner bits, ½"–¾"
Don’t use spade bits.
» Pole sawing jig such as a wood V-block
for cutting and drilling dowels
» Small, sharp paring knife
Preferred, but may be costly or hard to locate:
» Japanese bamboo hatchet
» Thin blade fine-tooth saw
OK to use, but may not provide the finest or
quickest results:
» Heavy old chef’s knife
» Hacksaw
A
69
make.co
DOUGLAS ARENSBERG is a
lifelong resident of the Seattle area
with an appreciation for Japanese
aesthetics and a particular interest
in Japanese architecture and garden
design during the Edo period.
M82_068-73BambooGate_F2.indd 69M82_068-73BambooGate_F2.indd 69 7/12/22 10:22 AM7/12/22 10:22 AM
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