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may still exist in a sense. For example, visitors to Yosemite certainly feel a sense of awe
for the power and beauty of nature, and the regenerative results of a camping trip to
Yosemite are not much different from what Edo travelers might have sought when visiting
Fuji). Use this discussion as an introduction to Activity 1, Making a Temple Book.
2) How was this painting used? Consider its size and format.
Size: each screen is about 5 1/2 feet tall by 12 feet wide. What kind of room would this
fit into? Imagine the space it would take up in the classroom. Remember, the screens
stand on their own by arranging the panels like an accordion, so they do not extend to
their full 12-feet width.
Format: screens have been used for centuries in Japan not merely as room decoration
but as integral parts of interior architecture. Traditional Japanese palaces and castles,
where one would find screens, consisted of large, simple rooms. Free-standing screens
like these might have been used to section off the room to give privacy or cover a draft.
They also showed the affluence and good taste of the owner. Refer to Student Handout
3, Formats of Japanese Painting.
Sources:
Extraordinary Persons Teacher Packet slide #4 left screen only.
Kakudo, #61.
Asian Art Museum Education Department