Honjo Suzu Jun 2026

The Honjo Suizao is a set of 16 folding screens, each measuring approximately 6 feet tall and 1 foot wide, that were crafted in the late 16th century. The screens are divided into four categories: the outer screens, the inner screens, the folding screens, and the decorative panels. They were originally owned by the Tokugawa family, one of the most influential and powerful noble families in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868 CE). The screens were commissioned by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, as part of a larger renovation of his castle in Edo (present-day Tokyo).

The Honjo Suizao also showcases the distinct characteristics of Japanese art during the Muromachi period. The use of natural motifs, such as trees, leaves, and flowers, combined with abstract geometric patterns, is typical of the period's artistic style. The incorporation of symbolic motifs, such as the dragonfly and the tortoise, adds to the screens' narrative and meaning. honjo suzu