Byobu (屏風/ folding screen)

Byobu, or folding screen is used in rooms for prevention of winds from outside, for partition of a big room, and decoration.



The standard size of Byobu is about 150cm height and 70cm width. We connect 2~6 Byobu into one wavy Byobu, so it becomes stable and portable.


The surface of Byobu is coverd with paper, and Yamato-e (大和絵;Japanese traditional pictures); Japanese rural scenery, plum trees or cherry blossoms, flowers and birds, for example. Gold foil and silver foil are used for pictures, so it's very decorative.

Byobu has a very long history. About 1200 years ago, it came from Korea. Then it was used among aristocrats at that time.


After that, it was also used in temples, and then, about 400 years ago, it spread among the common people.
At present, Byobu is used for mostly the ornament in rituals, marriage ceremony for example. So the main purpose of Byobu is decoration nowadays.

Focus Japan deals in Byobu. The size is smaller than traditional ones, so it's very compact and useful for ornamental accents in any rooms.


Don't you want to display them in your room?


Written by Yabuuchi