Japanese Screens

Tigers from a room-dividing screen at the Kotohira Shrine on the island of Shikoku. (source)
Artist: Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795) 

Reading a few Japanese detective novels reminds me of how fascinating I have always found Japanese art, and  especially the architecture and decoration of certain old-style homes and temples.

From our 1994 visit to Kyoto.

Rooms in these buildings were very sparsely furnished, and divided with sliding screens called fusuma, which were often decorated with paintings called  fusuma-e. Looking for examples of these paintings, I discovered that many of them are very old, as well as learning that some contemporary artists are now practicing this traditional art in a modernized way. 

Modern fusama paintings. (source)

When I visited the temples of Kyoto a number of years ago, I was most impressed by the dry garden at the Ryōanji temple, as well as the interior, which included many of the classic paintings. 

Ryōanji garden (Wikipedia)

Interior of Ryōanji Temple. (source)

A screen from Ryōanji, now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. (source)

In the late 19th century, Ryōanji, a now-famous and popular tourist site, had hard times and sold a number of the fusama-e to Western museums and to collectors. A few years ago, some of these lost works were restored to the temple. 

Painted screens restored to Ryōanji in 2019 (source)

In classic Western art, murals, frescos, and wall paintings have been popular at various times in history, and many famous artists are well-known for their achievements in this genre of art work. For example, "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci is one of his most admired works (not counting Mona Lisa!) I think of these Japanese works as a parallel type of art, made to decorate homes and public spaces, but reflecting the highest achievement of the artists of their time. I'm sharing these thoughts and these images with Sami's weekly blog event, "Monday Murals."

A Few Other Screens from Various Sources

A modern screen at Shinjuan, a structure in the Daitokuji temple complex in Kita-ku, Kyoto
by artist Kamikokuryō Isamu. (source)

Senrin Yamagishi’s painting of a cherry blossom tree at Kodaiji temple in Kyoto, Japan. (source)

Koji Mizutani, At Yoshino, 2003. (source)

Blog post © 2023 mae sander. Images as credited.