Bugaku Dances (front); Chinese Lions (reverse)

Across the gold expanse of the reverse side of these large screens, nine Chinese lions (karajishi) gambol and playfully wrestle. Chinese lions are auspicious symbols of power in East Asian visual culture, and throughout Japan’s Momoyama (1573–1615) and Edo periods they were frequently found on screens or sliding-door panels in elite samurai residences, castles, or temples. The dynamic brushwork inspired by Kano painters, especially Tan’yū (1602–1674)—whether the jagged curves in dark ink or the swirls of the tails in grayish tones—shows Hanabusa Itchō at the height of his artistic powers following his return from exile in 1709. On the front side are colorful depictions of court dances (bugaku), in a hyper-meticulous but very traditional mode. This set of screens, revealing two of Itchō’s stylistic capabilities, is said to be the artist’s most expensive commission—possibly made for one of his top patrons in 1713.