in the vertical direction; they are more common in the west of Japan. Koshi (dado) The lowest portions of the shoji, which are the most likely to get wet or kicked, might be filled with a solid wood-panel dado, called a koshi (; literally, waist or hip; not to be confused with kōshi, above). Such a shoji is called a koshizuke shoji. If the panel is over 60 cm high, or around a third of the height of the whole shoji, the shoji may be called a koshi-daka-shōji (; literally, high-koshi shoji). These are somewhat archaic, as they were designed to protect against rain. Now that shoji are rarely exposed to rain (due to being behind glass), the form in common use has a much lower panel, and is called koshi-tsuki-shōji (). Manaka koshishōji () have a central koshi. The wood panels were often quite elaborately ornamented, from the late 1500s onwards. The outside of the koshi may covered with wickerwork, or the inside papered. Pictures on paper were sometimes pasted onto the koshi board (haritsuke-e, ); pasted-on pictures are characteristic of the Shoin style. The koshi boards may be fastened to straight vertical or horizontal rails, which stand proud of the planks; older rails are thicker and often chamfered. The rails are often grouped in clusters; this clustering is called fukiyose (). Filling Open and semi-open The spaces between the kumiko are sometimes left open, and the kōshi panel used as an open lattice, especially in summer, for more air circulation. Kōshi may be made into windows (kōshi-mado, ) or doors (kōshi-do, ). Kōshi that are traditionally left open are now often filled with glass; this does not require much change to their appearance or structure, and glazed kōshi are still considered kōshi. Some lattice patterns have heraldic meanings, identifying the trade of a shopowner, for instance. Frames may also be backed with wire mesh, for ventilation without insects. Sudare-shōji (; also called sudo, ) are filled with Phragmites reed, cat-tail stalks, pampas grass, or fine bamboo, held together by a few rows of thread woven around the stems. These provide more shade and ventilation than paper-backed shoji, and are also called natsu-shōji (, "summer shoji"), as they may be used seasonally. For instance, in Kyoto, both paper shoji and fusuma will be removed and replaced with sudo doors and sudare blinds; this is usually done towards the end