ByÅbu
Japanese folding screens (Japanese屏风, byobu, literally: " wind wall " ) are Japanese folding screens, which consist of several interconnected panels. They are often adorned with decorative patterns, paintings or calligraphy and are used among other things for dividing spaces and private spaces to delimit.
History
How many Japanese arts and crafts have the folding screens originated in China. There, specimens have been found as far back as the time of the Han Dynasty. The term meant figuratively protection from wind, which suggests that the original purpose of Byobu was to prevent the wind it blowing into the rooms. Byobu were introduced in the 8th century in Japan, when Japanese craftsmen started to customize screens, then still heavily influenced by the Chinese models. Over time, the walls developed in structure and design, technology and materials used on:
- Nara period ( 646-794 ): The original form of Byobu was a single, standing on legs panel. In the 8th century walls came from a plurality of panels in use and were used as furniture in the imperial court, mainly in important ceremonies. Byobu of six panels were the most common in the Nara period. They were covered with silk and connected with leather or silk cords. The painting on each panel was framed with silk brocade and edged the panel with a wooden frame.
- Heian period (794-1185): In the 9th century byobu were indispensable component in 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 for connecting the panels.
- Muromachi period (1392-1568): folding screens grew in popularity and were found in many residences, dōjō and shops. Shields made of two panels were popular, and hinges from overlapping paper replaced the Zenigata use, making them easier to transport and fold up and had a more stable connection. This technique also allowed to extend the illustrations without vertical interruptions by the frame of the panels over the entire area. This prompted artists to paint beautiful, often monochromatic scenes on nature themes and famous Japanese places.
- Azuchi - Momoyama period (1568-1600) and early Edo period (1600-1868): byobu continued to gain popularity as significantly developed an understanding of the population for arts and crafts at this time. Byobu decorated the residences of the samurai as a sign of high rank and demonstration of wealth and power. This led to radical changes in the production, so to backgrounds of gold leaf (金箔kimpaku ) and color- rich representations of nature and scenes of daily life.
- Today: It handcrafted walls of families are still made, the true artisanal traditions. The artistic tradition of painting ( byobu -e) is continued. And on festive events in the great halls of the hotel is a byobu with a gold background behind the speaker still indispensable
In preparing the Byobu
Foldable Byobu be placed in slight zigzag position. By symmetry, there is therefore only an even number of panels. Most often you will find six-part byobu, but in addition are also two - or eight -piece before. So you can see on a picture 3, even if complete, panels, then the photo is not the whole Byobu again. The dimensions are not entirely uniform. A six-part Byobu is approximately 3.6 m wide and 1.6 m high, a pair thus spans a width of 7 m and thus fills the whole point of view.
In a couple there is always a definite right and a definite left Byobu. How Japanese texts in columns so Byobu be "read" from right to left. The right, first, is sometimes the artistically significant. The left is in such cases the quasi subdued echo of the first. But regardless of such subtleties can be (almost) always decide which is the right or the left. The general rule is that the artistic focus is more likely to find left on the right screen more to the right and on the left screen. In the middle of byobu - pair sits the guest of honor, which you want to see with the screen couple together, but also the most beautiful places not intended to conceal. The easiest way to clarify the installation, if the couple is Signed: The signature has set the Artist respectively on the outer edge, not to where the panels meet.
Types
Number of panels
Can be classified according to the number of panels byobu:
- Tsuitate (冲 立): Shades of only one panel, the only ones with legs that were the original form. Today you can find them in stores, venues and restaurants.
- Nikyoku byobu (二 曲 屏风) or Nimaiori byobu (二枚 折 屏风): Walls made of two panels, first introduced in the middle of the Muromachi period. They are an important part of the Japanese tea ceremony rooms for and be placed at the edge of the mat to the host to distinguish from that of the guest area. They are often about 60 cm high and 85 cm wide. Nikyoku Byobu is called in the context of tea ceremony also furosaki byobu (风 炉 先 屏风).
- Yonkyoku byobu (四 曲 屏风), walls made of 4 panels. These were placed in the corridors of the Kamakura and Muromachi period on display. Later, they were used in Seppuku ceremonies and in the waiting rooms of the tea houses of the late Edo period.
- Rokkyoku byobu (六 曲 屏风): or rokumaiori Byobu六 枚 折 屏风, walls made of 6 panels, the most popular format with dimensions of about 1.5 m height and 3.7 m width.
- Jūkyoku byobu (十 曲 屏风): Walls made of 10 panels, a relatively modern format that is used as a background for large spaces such as hotel lobbies and meeting rooms.
Use and topics
Byobu can also be classified according to their use or their topics:
- Ga no byobu (賀 の 屏風, literally: Longevity shields) should celebrate by written on it waka poems longevity since the Heian period. They are often decorated with paintings of birds and flowers of the four seasons.
- Shiro -e byobu (白 絵 屏风, also shirae Byobu ) are painted with ink or mica on white silk surface umbrellas, often used for wedding ceremonies and especially in rooms where babies were born, found use in the Edo period and therefore Ubuya byobu (, birth place - screen产 所 屏风) were called. Make cranes, turtles with pine and bamboo and the auspicious Fenghuang dar.
- Makura byobu (枕 屏风, literally: Pillow - screen ): 50 cm high, often, often used in two or four panels in bedrooms as storage for clothes or other things as well in order to create a certain amount of privacy.
- Koshi byobu (腰 屏风) are slightly higher than the makura Byobu, they were placed in the martial Sengoku period behind the hosts to ensure guests that no one is hiding behind the screen.