fusuma-e　襖絵

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Abbreviation of fusuma shouji-e 襖障子絵. Paintings on sliding-door panels *fusuma 襖. Fusuma are constructed of wooden frames and covered with layers of thick paper (or silk especially in the early periods) on both sides . The panels slide along grooves at the top and bottom of the door frame and function as doors and room dividers. The term *shouji-e 障子絵 was popular during the Heian period and still used interchangeably with fusuma-e, but the latter term is more commonly heard today. In addition, the term shouji-e in the strict sense includes paintings on free-standing screens, tsuitate 衝立, as well as fusuma-e. The earliest reference to paintings on sliding doors in Japan comes in the 8c in the *Shousouin 正倉院 records from 762 . Although no paintings survive from the Heian period, many literary and pictorial references suggest that paintings on sliding doors were popular interior decorations in the shinden style *shinden-zukuri 寝殿造, architecture employed for the palaces and residences of courtiers. Most extant fusuma paintings date from 15c on, and were done in ink painting *suibokuga 水墨画, painting with bright colors against gold background *kinpekiga 金碧画, and *yamato-e やまと絵. Fusuma-e were sometimes taken off their sliding door frames (in which case they are called mekuri めくり) and re-mounted onto folding screens *byoubu 屏風, or large hanging scrolls *kakemono 掛物, for preservation.

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