Byōbu, The art of Japanese Folding Screens
Byōbu – Screens that separate with beauty, elegant folding screens that brings a cosy aesthetic to any room.
A Piece of Japanese Culture
Byōbu we have seen in a good deal of Anime, live-action movies and Japanese drama series. They are Japanese folding screens, usually decorated with landscape paintings and calligraphy and are joined panels used to partition a room, to separate spaces within a building for privacy.
These screens originated in China, dating as far as the Han dynasty. Byōbu have been woven into Japanese culture since the 7th century. One meaning of the word byōbu is ‘protection from the wind,’ suggesting that its original purpose was to block drafts in homes. Byōbu is a form of art, and it evolved over the centuries.
History
In the Nara Period (646-794) byōbu’s original form was a single standing, legged panel. They were mostly six-panelled, covered in silk and connected with leather or silk cords.
Later, in the Heian Period (794-1185) coin-shaped metal hinges (zenigata) replaced the silk cords that connected the panels. In the Muromachi Period (1392-1568) two-panel byōbu were common with overlapping paper hinges that replaced zenigata.
This made the byōbu screens lighter to carry and easier to fold. Byōbu popularity kept growing in Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600) and early Edo Period (1600–1868) and led to radical changes such as backgrounds made of golden leaf and colourful nature paintings added.
Byōbu in modern times
These days byōbu are machine made, losing a lot of its romantic artistry, except where handcrafted byōbu are still made. Byōbu’s popularity is sadly fading in Japan and is more seen as a traditional item.
It is no longer a common home furnishing. Romantics at heart still revere them for their elegance and beauty. Every byōbu is a language of its own, and its art, the way it is crafted, tells a story. Byōbu’s meaning is not fixed – it whispers different stories to each viewer, waiting to be discovered.
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