Byobu Guide
Japanese screens, "byobu" in the Japanese language, were originally used
to separate rooms and as enclosures for intimate spaces, one such use was to hide objects,
such as a person sleeping on a futon. Byobu
literally means "wind wall",
figuratively, protection from wind, and represents some of the world's largest paintings.
Folding screens commonly found these days are often made by machine and shoddy in terms of quality. Ask questions and be cautious if you are spending around or well over $1,000, especially if it is a boutique catering to tourists. Some are not even made in Japan. Japanese Screens.net distributes authentic gold leaf screens produced by a Kyoto-based family making byobu for three generations. Find out if the screen you are buying is made in Kyoto, the ancient Japanese capital, which possesses a rich tradition of art production, where master craftsmen have produced byobu for ages.
Byobu became popular when wealthy aristocrats and samurai warlords commissioned artists
to produce decorative screens to spruce up their dreary estates. For modern Japanese,
byobu make interiors more attractive with their lively paintings or "kanji" calligraphy
[kanji is the Japanese word for Chinese characters]. Ideally suited to the interiors
prevalent in Japan, where space is at a premium, byobu allow quick customization of a
room's function. For example by folding the screen and/or moving it to another location
a room can be used for serving tea, as an office, or to separate groups of people.
Next: Types of Japanese Screens >>