One of the continuing goals of The Lantern is to highlight Colby students’ research in and engagement with the arts. In this first of two posts for The Lantern, Colby senior Ling Ding ’18 shares her Jan Plan experience working with a private collection of traditional byobu screens in Japan.
Byobu screens were originally designed as spatial divisions and room decorations for traditional Japanese houses. During Jan Plan 2018, I had the opportunity to conduct research on byobu screens from the private collection of Yoshihiro Takishita in Kamakura, Japan. Takishita, who received an honorary doctorate from Colby College in 2017, is the president of the Association for the Preservation of Traditional Japanese Farmhouses. With byobu screens that date from the eighteenth century to the modern period, the collection shows not only the diversity of motifs and stylistic changes of the screens from different schools over time but also represents the variety of types of craftsmanship required to finish a perfect piece.
Figure 1. Me sitting in front a byobu painting.
Byobu were used for special occasions: festivals, festive gatherings, weddings, the time when boys became community members, and funerals. The designs correspond with those of traditional Japanese houses, as rooms can easily change their size and function by dividing in different ways. Most of the screens are six or eight panels, depending on the size of the room in which they are used. The value of a byobu is represented through the considerable expense of the different kinds of craftsmanship required. This unique art form incorporates wooden construction with stretched paper, paper interlocking hinges, lacquer covering the wooden frame, woodblock prints on the back paper, two layers of different textiles that sometimes use golden thread, and delicate gilt hardware used for nail hiders and corner protection. What’s more, the process involved in making the screens is collaborative. The first step is to cover the screen with small squares of golden foil. Then a painter makes his or her image on that surface. After that, different techniques of golden decoration are applied. These include gold mud and gold dust. All of the golden decorations are made of pure gold. Consequently, owning a byobu is regarded as a symbol of wealth and status.
Figure 2 (top). The back paper of woodblock prints,
Figures 3-5 (bottom, from left). The gold gilt hard ware as the nail hiders, the corner protection, and the delicate embroidery textiles.
As a student from China, I was surprised to find many Chinese elements and styles throughout my research process. This collection reflects the Chinese influence on Japanese byobu screens, especially from Chinese literati paintings. The diversity of the byobu screens displays the different stages of Chinese influence, from screens that are exact copies of Chinese paintings to those that merely interpret Chinese subjects.
For example, Byobu No. 97 is a screen whose subject incorporates elements of masterpieces by Chinese and Japanese painters. Another screen features a copy of a Chinese masterpiece by Chinese Emperor Huizong from the Song Dynasty that is now preserved in the Tokyo National Museum. We can presume that this painting was transported to Japan after the Song Dynasty, and became a great example for Japanese artists to copy.
Figure 6. Detail image of the birds and flowers painting from Byobu 97.
Kanō Sadanobu, Six-panel Appliqué, Early-19th Century, color and ink on paper, 54*126 in. (137.16cm * 320.04cm). The Takishita Collection, 97.
See link below of the original painting by Emperor Huizong.
http://webarchives.tnm.jp/imgsearch/show/C0081697
In another group of screens the Chinese use of gold technique is incorporated. Painting No.13 (Fusuma) is a great example of this influence, and depicts West Lake in Hangzhou, the capital city of the Southern Song Dynasty, which frequently appears in Chinese landscapes in literati paintings. In this byobu, it is depicted in traditional Chinese ink-and-brush technique, with the Japanese technique of gold dust.
Figure 7. Unknown painter, Four-panel sliding doors of Westlake, Mid-19th Century, ink on paper, 68.5 * 115 in. (173.99cm *292.10 cm). The Takishita Collection, 13.
Another group of screens represent Chinese stories and historical figures, and Byobu No. 315 is an example that depicts the famous Chinese historical figure Jiang Taigong. Although the stories and the figures show Chinese characteristics, the painting technique and the use of color exhibit Japanese interpretation of Chinese subjects.
Figure 8. Byobu 315 showing the story of Taigong.
Ishida Yūtei, Six-panel Screen, color and gold on paper, 67 *148 in. (170.18cm*375.92cm). The Takishita Collection, 315.
I was really lucky to have had the unique experience to study this collection. Through the working process, I got the chance to deal closely with these real treasures, to touch the textiles and experience their beauty up close. I was able to pay careful attention to every detail, including corners and backs, something I would never have had the chance to see in a museum setting. Besides being astonished by the diverseness of the collection, I was surprised to find the extensive Chinese influence on this unique Japanese art form. The diversity of the screens represents how, over time, Japanese byobu artists developed their own style under the influence of Chinese art and also reflects changes in Japanese spirituality from period to period.