Byobu: 7 Things to Know About Japanese Folding Screens

by David McElhinney | CRAFT

© Why Kyoto, Roganzu (Reeds and Wild Geese) by Shuko Kumashiro

Japanese folding screens, or byobu, are an intrinsic element of the nation’s art and design. Usually made of paper or silk, byobu are used as room dividers, but are particularly prized for their unique artworks.

The most beautiful byobu display tapestries depicting scenes from folklore, history and the natural world. Folding in and out like an accordion, byobu are also quite diverse and utilitarian and have been a mainstay of Japanese high culture for well over a thousand years.

So, for everything you need to know about byobu, read on!

1. What are Byobu?

Old Plum, Kano Sansetsu, 1646, Met Museum

Byobu, which literally means wind walls (屏 byo wall, 風 bu wind), are ornate mobile walls used to separate interior spaces and provide privacy within a section of a room. As their name suggests, they were originally used as windbreakers in the airy Japanese residences of antiquity. Nowadays they are largely viewed as aesthetic fixtures, but you will still see them in more prosaic use from time to time, including as partitions in the changing areas of kimono rental stores, separating sections of a traditional restaurant, or as artwork in Japanese homes.

Screen of Two Dancers, 18th Century, Met Museum

Byobu can be quite imposing objects with heights of exceeding 5 feet (1.5m) and lengths more than double that. This sense of grandeur is enhanced by the artworks that they tend to feature. From gold-leaf coatings and towering creatures to elegant floral patterns and sprawling castle towns, byobu art touches on a wide range of themes and motifs.

2. Where do Byobu Come From?

Folding screens were initially introduced to Japan from China. This appears to be evidenced by frequent use of gold, which stands in contrast to the subtler forms of Japanese art (think ikebana, rakuware, and hanging wall scrolls). Perhaps surprisingly, however, the addition of kinpaku (gold leaf) backgrounds was actually more of an Edo-period craze (around the 17th and 18th centuries) when the screens began to indicate wealth and power.

Byobu were thought to have first appeared in Japan during the Nara period (around the 7th or 8th century). Japan’s oldest surviving byobu, crafted in the 700s, is called the torige ritsujo no byobu (folding screen panels with bird feathers) and is displayed in the Shosoin Treasure Repository in Nara Prefecture, which is open to visitors for two months every autumn.

Souvenir from Enoshima, artist unknown, around 1900

The original byobu were constructed from bamboo mats and were unable to fold, before byobu laden with silk brocades came into fashion around the 8th century – in such cases, the artwork on each panel was often individual, rather than congruent with the adjacent panels.

The imperial household was Japan’s byobu pioneer, with the courts displaying them during ceremonies and events. The screens then proliferated throughout the upper classes during the Heian period (794 – 1185), at which point zenigata (circular hinges) were introduced to connect the individual panels. Finally, by the Muromachi period (1336 – 1573) byobu began filtering down to merchants and dojo on the middle rungs of the social hierarchy.

3. How are Japanese Folding Screens Made?

© Shogetsu, Making Kinbyobu (Gold Byobu)

As byobu were popularized, the materials and methodology used to craft them changed over time, especially as different styles came in and out of fashion. In the post-industrial era, byobu are often machine made and mass produced, though quantity in this case is certainly a substitute for quality.

The most iconic forms of byobu are called ichijo rokusen – literally meaning one screen, six panels – and are crafted as follows:

The skeleton frame of each panel is made from latticed bamboo, giving the structure flexibility and sturdiness, and several layers of washi paper are stretched taut over each frame. The hinges are then added to allow the screens to fit flush with one another and to fold without resistance.

Kinpaku (gold leaf) might then be added to the washi paper before the panels are painted. In the case of the traditional silk-style screens, brocading – a process requiring an incredibly steady hand – would be completed after painting. The final touch is to add a lacquer frame to the byobu’s outer rim.

4. What Types of Byobu are There?

Paintings and Calligraphy by Literati of Iga Ueno, early 19th Century, Met Museum

The different types and sizes of byobu used may have been dictated by stylistic preferences. But there were also common uses for individual kinds of byobu:

Furosaki-byobu are smaller double-paneled screens often appearing during tea ceremonies, where guests spent much time sat on tatami floormats and in seiza position.

Makura-byobu, which have up to four panels, were used in bedrooms as wind breakers.

Jurakudai Palace Folding Screen, late 16th Century

Kinpaku-covered byobu (often with six or more panels) would have been ornamental additions in wealthy households and used for ceremonial purposes.

Koshi-byobu were a fad during the Sengoku warring states era (1467 -1615). Standing at waist-height, they were used to alleviate guest concerns that potential threats may be hiding behind screens.

5. Where are Byobu Used?

© Why Kyoto, Autumn Grasses by Sotatsu Tawaraya

In the feudal era, byobu were not items you’d come across in the peasant shacks of the Honshu hinterlands or in the fishing villages of rural Shikoku. Rather they would have appeared at religious monuments and adorned the tatami flooring in the grand reception halls of feudal domains or in the daimyo’s private quarters. Two of Japan’s greatest daimyo, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, were both said to have been fond of byobu and ordered their castles to be decorated with them.

In their most elaborate forms, byobu are still largely the preserve of old-world residences, museums, art galleries, shrines and temples, and sometimes, in ryokan and tea houses.

They can operate as grand centerpieces or as background art, depending on their size, price, the artist who painted them, or the number of panels used. The may also appear side-by-side with correlating byobu creating the effect of a much larger screen.

6. Where to See Byobu Today?

Matsura Byobu by Iwasa Matabei, early 17th Century

As mentioned, the Shosoin Treasure Repository displays Japan’s oldest byobu every autumn. But if Nara isn’t on your trip itinerary, there is a wide range of byobu throughout Japan to take your pick from:

The Machiya Byobu Festival in Murakami, an old castle town in Niigata Prefecture, is a great place to view byobu each autumn. Machiya (townhouses) throughout Murakami invite guests to admire their Edo-period folding screens and learn about the region’s deep-seated connection to traditional crafts and woodwork.

Driven by a desire to restore old byobu screens and the difficulty of passing down original crafting techniques, the artisans at Team Kyoto have established new markets to improve byobu’s worldwide appeal. This is achieved through support of fellow artisans, exhibitions and the use of new technologies.

Landscape of the Four Seasons by Unkoku Togan, early 17th Century, Met Museum

Folding screens are included amongst the vast collections of traditional art in central Tokyo’s Mitsui Memorial Museum and at the Edo-Tokyo Museum.

Fuji Torii in Tokyo’s Shibuya district displays and sells hand-painted byobu. Norton Art Byobu puts on occasional exhibitions across Japan. Kyoto-based One Kyoto Gallery has byobu both to view and for sale. Byobu are also common furnishings in temples and shrines across the country: Kyoto’s Ryoan-ji and Kennin-ji are popular for their hallowed folding screens.

7. Where to Read More about Byobu?

Japanese folding screens have are rarely written about extensively in English (or through translation), but the following two books will help you dive deeper into the well of byobu culture.

Japanese Screens: Through a Break in the Clouds

The definitive English-language book on byobu, Japanese Screens: Through a Break in the Clouds is a scrupulously researched treatise on the history of and culture surrounding traditional folding screens. Charting the trajectory of byobu over 1,300 years and the stylistic changes introduced along the way, the book is a worthy addition on the bookshelf of dedicated fans of Japanese art.

Available at Amazon

Byobu: Japanese screens from New York collections

Byobu: Japanese screens from New York collections could be a mainstay atop your coffee table. Cataloging the many byobu displayed in a 1971 exhibition held at New York’s Asia House Gallery, this 134-page picture book guides readers on an artistic exploration of byobu design.

Available at Amazon

JO SELECTS offers helpful suggestions, and genuine recommendations for high-quality, authentic Japanese art & design. We know how difficult it is to search for Japanese artists, artisans and designers on the vast internet, so we came up with this lifestyle guide to highlight the most inspiring Japanese artworks, designs and products for your everyday needs.

All product suggestions are independently selected and individually reviewed. We try our best to update information, but all prices and availability are subject to change. As an Amazon Associate, Japan Objects earns from qualifying purchases.