Old Japanese

*' REDESDALE BIRCHES." FROM AN ETCHING BY THE
HON. WALTER AMES, A.R.E.

collectors also to Larches on the Huel, Pine Trees
on Tod Law, The Bather, an appealing soft-ground
etching, The Little Burn, and Birch and Rowan—
and let me add Books in the Garden. When
collectors know these beautiful things better, I am
confident that, amid all the etchers' work being
done to-day, a very distinguished place will be
accorded to the plates of the Hon. Walter
James, A.R.E. M. C. S.

OLD JAPANESE FOLDING
SCREENS. BY PROF. JIRO
HARADA.

In an artistic country like Japan, Europeans are
often surprised to find so few objects of art that
are used to decorate the room, and to note the
almost total absence of furniture of any kind.
They will find in the room of an ancient house
reputed to contain a large collection of treasures
merely a kakemono (a hanging picture), or a pair of
them, adorning the wall of the tokonoma (the recess
in a Japanese guest-room), with a vase of flowers
arranged in an artistic style, and perhaps a gaku
110

aiding Screens

with a sketch or a few words of poetry placed on
the wall near the ceiling, as is usually the case—
but the bulk of the treasures are stored away in the
godown waiting for their turn to appear. There
may indeed be one or two other objects in the
room, but whatever object of use may be found
there will generally be a work of art. And
nothing has assumed such an important position
in the Japanese house among these few objects
that are ornamental as well as useful as the
byobu, or folding screens, which are now admired
so much in the West in many varying forms and
types.

Byobu, the Japanese name for these screens, is
made up of two words : byo meaning to avoid, and
fu (fu becomes bu when combined with another

PANEL OF FOLDING SCREEN MADE OF
IVY FIBRE CLOTH. IN THE SHOSO-IN
REPOSITORY

(From " Toyei Shiko")