Byobu
Encyclopedia
are Japan
ese folding screen
s made from several joined panels bearing decorative painting and calligraphy
, used to separate interiors and enclose private spaces, among other uses.
s and crafts, folding screens originated in China; prototypes dating back to the Han dynasty
have been found. The term "byōbu" means figuratively "protection from wind", which suggests that the original purpose of byōbu was blocking drafts. Byōbu were introduced in Japan in the eighth century, when Japanese craftsmen started making their own byōbu, highly influenced by Chinese patterns. Through different Japanese eras, byōbu evolved in structure and design, along with the techniques and materials used:
Byōbu may also be classified by their uses or themes:
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese folding screen
Folding Screen
A folding screen , is a piece of free-standing furniture which consists of several frames or panels connected by hinges. It can be made in a variety of designs and with different kinds of materials. Screens have many practical and decorative uses...
s made from several joined panels bearing decorative painting and calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
, used to separate interiors and enclose private spaces, among other uses.
History
Like many Japanese artJapanese art
Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper and more recently manga, cartoon, along with a myriad of other types of works of art...
s and crafts, folding screens originated in China; prototypes dating back to the Han dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
have been found. The term "byōbu" means figuratively "protection from wind", which suggests that the original purpose of byōbu was blocking drafts. Byōbu were introduced in Japan in the eighth century, when Japanese craftsmen started making their own byōbu, highly influenced by Chinese patterns. Through different Japanese eras, byōbu evolved in structure and design, along with the techniques and materials used:
- Nara PeriodNara periodThe of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...
(646-794): The original form of byōbu was a single standing, legged panel. In the 8th century, multi-paneled byōbu made their appearance, and were used as furnishings in the imperial court, mainly in important ceremonies. The six-paneled byōbu were the most common in the Nara period, and were covered in silk and connected with leather or silk cords. The painting on each panel was framed by a silk brocade, and the panel was bound with a wood frame. - Heian PeriodHeian periodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
(794-1185): By the 9th century, byōbu were indispensable as furniture in daimyoDaimyois a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
residences, Buddhist temples, and shrinesJinja (Shinto)A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house one or more Shinto kami....
. Zenigata , coin-shaped metal hinges, were introduced and widely used to connect the panels instead of silk cords. - Muromachi PeriodMuromachi periodThe is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
(1392-1568): Folding screens became more popular and were found in many residences, dojos, and shops. The two-panel byōbu were common, and overlapped paper hinges substituted for Zenigata, which made them lighter to carry, easier to fold, and stronger at the joints. This technique allowed the depictions in the byōbu to be uninterrupted by panel vertical borders, which prompted artists to paint sumptuous, often monochromatic, nature-themed scenes and landscapes of famous Japanese locales. The paper hinges, although quite strong, required that the panel infrastructure be as light as possible. Softwood lattices were constructed using special bamboo nails that allowed for the lattice to be planed along its edges to be straight, square, and the same size as the other panels of the byōbu. The lattices were coated with one or more layers of paper stretched across the lattice surface like a drum head to provide a flat and strong backing for the paintings that would be later mounted on the byōbu. The resulting structure was lightweight and durable, yet still quite vulnerable. If you poke your finger into the surface of a panel and you miss a lattice member, your finger will likely pass clear through to the other side. After the paintings and brocade were attached, a lacquered wood frame (typically black or dark red) was applied to protect the outer perimeter of the byōbu, and intricately-decorated metal hardware (strips, right angles, and studs) were applied to the frame to protect the lacquer. - Azuchi-Momoyama PeriodAzuchi-Momoyama periodThe came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...
(1568-1600) and early Edo PeriodEdo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(1600-1868): Byōbu popularity grew, as the people's interest in arts and crafts significantly developed during this period. Byōbu adorned samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
residences, conveying high rank and demonstrating wealth and power. This led to radical changes in byōbu crafting, such as backgrounds made from and highly colorful paintings depicting nature and scenes from daily life. - Current day: Byōbu are often machine-made, however hand-crafted byōbu are still available, mainly produced by families that preserve the crafting traditions.
Types
Byōbu may be classified by the number of panels:- Tsuitate : One-panel screens, the only legged byōbu, were the first available format. Currently found in shops, restaurants and other venues.
- Nikyoku byōbu or Nimaiori byōbu : Two-panel screens, made their first appearance in the mid-Muromachi period. They are a key feature in Japanese tea ceremonyJapanese tea ceremonyThe Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...
rooms, used at the edge of the host's mat to separate him from the guest's area, and are often about 60 centimetres (23.6 in) high and 85 centimetres (33.5 in) wide. Nikyoku byōbu are also called furosaki byōbu in the context of tea ceremonies. - Yonkyoku byōbu : Four-panel screens, displayed in hallways during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. They were later used in Seppuku ceremonies and tea house waiting rooms in the late Edo Period.
- Rokkyoku byōbu or rokumaiori byōbu : Six-panel screens, the most popular format, measuring approximately 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) high and 3.7 metres (12.1 ft) wide.
- Jūkyoku byōbu : Ten-panel screens, a relatively recent format, used as backdrops in large settings such as hotel lobbies and convention halls.
Byōbu may also be classified by their uses or themes:
- Furosaki byōbu (風炉先屏風, literally "screen for in front of the brazier"): screens placed behind the portable hearth in a Japanese tea ceremonyJapanese tea ceremonyThe Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...
. - Ga no byōbu : Purported to have been used since the Heian PeriodHeian periodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
to celebrate longevity through wakaWaka (poetry)Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...
poems written on them, embellished with paintings of birds and flowers in the four seasons. - Shiro-e byōbu : Screens painted in ink or mica on white silk surfaces, widely used in the Edo period in wedding ceremonies and more specifically in rooms were babies were born, thus they were also called ubuya byōbu . They depict cranes and tortoises with pine and bamboo, as well as the auspicious phoenix.
- Makura byōbu : 50 centimetres (19.7 in)-high screens, usually two or four panels, used in bedrooms as a rack for clothes and other accessories, and also to preserve privacy.
- Koshi byōbu : Slightly taller than makura byōbu, used during the Sengoku periodSengoku periodThe or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
, placed behind the host to reassure guests that no one is hiding behind the screen.