Tsuitate
Traditional Japanese single-panel portable partition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with byōbu, traditional Japanese folding screens.
A tsuitate (衝立) is a form of single-panel portable partition traditionally used in Japan since at least the 6th century.[1] They may be made of wood, or a wood frame covered in paper or silk cloth.[1][2] The panels are often illustrated, with paintings on both sides, sometimes by well-known artists.[1] The wood frame may be lacquered,[1][3] and pricier tsuitate may be very richly decorated, including use of precious metals.[3]
Apart from their use as works of art, they are often used to screen entrances, and block wind and sun[2] They may also partition rooms, divide the public part of a shop from the residential area behind, and act as a signboard.[1]
- A robust all-wood tsuitate, screening a fire from drafts in a rural house (history exhibit)
- A tall 1700s tsuitate, presumably a replica konmeichi screen.[4]
- Tsuitate could be made in one piece, or as here, with a separate stand and panel[5]
- Tsuitate are traditionally used to screen entrances[6]
- A print of a painting by Kawanabe Kyōsai, depicitng a tsuitate screen painted by Kyōsai, complete with his signature on the screen[7]
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