Akari shoji having a structure consisting of a frame and thinner members traversing in between, namely, muntins, as seen today, came into being in the Kamakura period and is often found in picture scrolls made in that period.
框に細い組子骨を用いる現在のような明かり障子は、鎌倉時代の絵巻物に多く登場するようになる。