RANMA CHOKOKU / JAPANESE WOOD CARVING
About 400 years ago / 1600s / Edo Period (1603–1868)
Ranma are open panels placed above sliding doors in Japanese rooms, and carved decoration became highly refined as temples, townhouses and merchant residences developed during the Edo period. Flowers, birds, landscapes and dragons were pierced through thick boards, decorating rooms while allowing light and air to pass.
In Japan, ranma are literally sculpture inside architecture. In wealthy homes and temples they could be major displays of status and craftsmanship. As traditional rooms decline, carvers increasingly adapt the same skills to wall panels, framed works and hotel interiors.
A ranma is not always a one-sided relief. Because it may be seen from both rooms, some carvings must make visual sense from front and back. The cut-out negative space also performs ventilation, so the “holes” in the sculpture function as part of the building system.