Japanese screen
Japanese wall screens ( Japanese 屏風 , byōbu , literally: "wind wall") are Japanese folding screens that consist of several interconnected panels. They are often adorned with decorative patterns, paintings or calligraphy and are used, among other things, to subdivide rooms and to delimit private rooms.
history
Like many Japanese arts and crafts, the folding umbrellas have their origins in China. Specimens were found there as far back as the Han Dynasty . The term figuratively meant protection from the wind , which leads to the conclusion that the original purpose of the Byōbu was to prevent the wind from blowing into the rooms. Byobu were introduced to Japan in the 8th century when Japanese craftsmen began to make wall screens, which at that time were still heavily influenced by Chinese models. Over time, the walls continued to develop in terms of structure and design, technology and materials used:
- Nara period (646–794): The original form of the Byōbu was a single panel standing on legs. In the 8th century, multi-panel walls came into use and were used as furniture in the imperial court, mainly at important ceremonies. Six panel byobu were the most common in the Nara period. They were covered with silk and tied with leather or silk cords. The painting on each panel was framed with silk brocade and the panel was framed with a wooden frame.
- Heian period (794–1185): In the 9th century, Byōbu were an indispensable part of the residences of the daimyo in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines . Zenigata (銭 形), coin-shaped metal hinges, were introduced at that time and largely replaced the silk cords used to connect the panels.
- Muromachi Period (1392–1568): Folding umbrellas gained popularity and were found in many residences, dōjōs and shops. Two-panel umbrellas were popular, and overlapping paper hinges replaced the Zenigata, making them easier to transport, fold together, and provide a more stable connection. This technique also made it possible to extend the pictorial representations over the entire surface without vertical interruptions by the frame of the panels. This prompted artists to paint gorgeous, often monochrome, scenes on natural subjects and famous Japanese locations.
- Azuchi Momoyama Period (1568–1600) and Early Edo Period (1600–1868): Byōbu continued to gain popularity, as the population's understanding of arts and crafts developed significantly during this period. Byōbu adorned the residences of the samurai as a sign of high status and a demonstration of wealth and power. This led to radical changes in production, including backgrounds made of gold leaf (金箔kimpaku ) and colorful depictions of nature and scenes from everyday life. The Japanese Tenshō legation made Pope Gregory XIII in 1585 . such a screen as a gift.
- Today: Handcrafted walls are still made by families who uphold the craft traditions. The artistic tradition of painting (Byōbu-e) is also continued. And at festive events in the large halls of the hotels, a byōbu with a gold background behind the speaker is still indispensable,
During the era of the Namban trade , the folding umbrellas and the term byōbu came to Portugal and then Spain, where these "Spanish walls" are still referred to today with the loan word biombo .
To set up the Byōbu
Foldable Byōbu are set up in a slight zigzag position (which is also practically necessary, since they have no feet and would therefore fall over when opened completely flat). For reasons of symmetry, there is therefore only an even number of panels. The six-part Byōbu is most common, but two- or eight-part also occur. So if you see 3 panels, albeit complete, in a photo, then the photo does not reflect the entire Byōbu. The dimensions are not entirely uniform. A six-part Byōbu is approx. 3.6 m wide and 1.6 m high, a pair thus spans a width of 7 m and thus fills the entire perspective.
In a couple there is always a definitely right and a definitely left Byōbu. Like Japanese texts in columns, Byōbu are "read" from right to left. The first one on the right is occasionally also the artistically more important one. In such cases, the left one is the subdued echo at first. But regardless of such subtleties, you can (almost) always decide which is the right or the left. As a rule, the artistic focus is on the right screen on the right and on the left screen on the left. In the middle in front of the Byōbu couple sits the guest of honor, whom one would like to see together with the pair of umbrellas, but who should not cover the most beautiful parts. The easiest way to clarify the arrangement is when the couple is signed: The artist has placed the signature on the outer edge, not where the umbrellas meet.
Types
Number of panels
Byōbu can be classified according to the number of panels:
- Tsuitate ( 衝 立 ): Shades made of only one panel, the only ones with legs, were the original shape. Today they can be found in shops, venues, and restaurants.
- Nikyoku byōbu ( 二 曲 屏風 ) or Nimaiori byōbu ( 二枚 折 屏風 ): walls made of 2 panels, first introduced in the middle of the Muromachi period. They are an important part of the rooms for the Japanese tea ceremony and are placed on the edge of the host's mat to separate the area from the guests. They are often around 60 cm high and 85 cm wide. Nikyoku byōbu is also called furosaki byōbu ( 風 炉 先 屏風 ) in the context of the tea ceremony .
- Yonkyoku byōbu ( 四 曲 屏風 ): walls made of 4 panels. These were on display in the corridors of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. They were later used in seppuku ceremonies and in the waiting rooms of tea houses of the late Edo period.
- Rokkyoku byōbu ( 六 曲 屏風 ): or rokumaiori byōbu 六 枚 折 屏風 , walls made of 6 panels, the most popular format with dimensions of around 1.5 m high and 3.7 m wide.
- Jūkyoku byōbu ( 十 曲 屏風 ): walls made up of 10 panels, a relatively modern format used as a backdrop for large rooms such as hotel halls and meeting rooms.
Usage and themes
Byōbu can also be classified according to their usage or themes:
- Ga no byōbu ( 賀 の 屏風 , literally: longevity umbrellas ) have been celebrating longevity since the Heian period through waka poems written on them . They are often decorated with paintings of birds and flowers of the four seasons.
- Shiro-e byōbu ( 白 絵 屏風 , also shirae byōbu ) are umbrellas painted with ink or mica on a white silk surface, which were often used in the Edo period for wedding ceremonies and especially in rooms where babies were born, and therefore ubuya byōbu ( 産 所 屏風 , birth place screen ) were called. They depict cranes , turtles with pines and bamboo and the auspicious Fenghuang .
- Makura byōbu ( 枕 屏風 , literally: cushion-shade ): 50 cm high, often made of 2 or four panels, often used in bedrooms as a shelf for clothes or other things, as well as to create a certain privacy.
- Koshi byōbu ( 腰 屏風 ) are slightly higher than the makura byōbu , they were placed behind the host in the warlike Sengoku period to assure the guests that nobody is hiding behind the umbrella.
Remarks
- ↑ see e.g. contemporary wall screen painting (Byobu-e) from Japan . State Museum People and Economy 1990.
- ↑ " Biǒbu . Hŭa maneira de paineis grossos que se tem por si em pee, de que uzão os Japoês pera ornato das casas ”(Vocabulario da Lingoa de Iapam. Nagasaki, 1603).
- ↑ biombo in the Diccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia Española
