DATE | Edo Period (1615-1867), 18th century |
MEDIUM | Ink, color, and gofun, on gold-leaf ground |
DIMENSIONS | 92 by 212 cm |
The screen depicts some games and amusements held during the year:
Winter
Starting from the right side, we see a group of girls playing hanetsuki, a game similar to badminton without a net, played with rectangular wooden paddle (hagoita) and a brightly colored shuttlecock made with soapberry seed and feathers; the game was already played by aristocrats during Muromachi period but became popular during the Edo period, especially among girls during New Year’s festivals.
Spring
The second scene is a private party during cherry blossom (hanami), the most popular amusement even at present time: participants are preparing tea ceremony, playing go, smoking, drinking and playing a shamisen among rich lacquerware.
Summer
A large group of people is performing the Bon festival dance (Bon odori), a group dance held at night during the season of Obon, the Buddhist festival for the dead in mid-August: dancers hold a fan and have their heads covered with tenugui, a traditional cloth.
Fall
The left side of the screen shows different autumn scenes, including a party writing poems in front of a beautiful maple tree, while another is enjoying music and sake on a boat under the same tree. On the background, deer are running under a full moon and a group of wild gooses, all traditional symbols of this season.
INVENTORY NR: byo-1382
Inventory Nr: 1382
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