Yoroboshi

A Glimpse into Momoyama Style Painting

The Byobu titled Yoroboshi or "The Beggar Monk" was created in 1915 by the Japanese artist Shimomura Kanzan. The medium is color ink and gold leaf on paper, an it is currently housed in the Tokyo National Museum.

The story behind its creation is an interesting one. The screen is meant as a depiction of a scene from a famous No play of the same name. In the production, a blind monk, Shuntokumarn, is falsly accused of a crime. Disowned by his family he wanders about and liveds a vagrants life. In the scene Kanzan decided to depict, the monk who has become one with the universe, can, though he is blind, can see all that surrounds him.

The Byobu itself harks back to the Momyama and Edo periods in its style and composition. During these times genre painting was quite popular andthe theatre continued to gain importance in Japanese culture. It was common during these previous periods for artists to paint No characters or illistrate the scenes. Like former artists, Kanzan immitated this style.

The use of gold leaf was aslo increasingly popular during the Momoyama and Edo periods, and many antique screens use this technique, just as Yoroboshi does. Kanzan's theme of nature is not surprising. Plum trees in particular can be seen in countless other screens and have always been a favorite to paint.

All in all, Shimomura Kanzan's work, Yoroboshi, is a wonderful example of works done in ealier centuries and shows a strong Rimpa influence.

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