Namban

Important cultural property

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Artist: Kano Sanraku( 1559 - 1635 )
Number of components: Pair of six-panel folding screens
Format and materials: Color on paper
Dimensions (in cm): L. 166.8, W. 357.0 (each)
Date of production: Momoyama period Early 17th century

Namban folding screens depicting exchanges with the Southern Barbarians (Nambanjin) from Portugal and Spain were produced in great numbers, primarily in the early 17th century. This pair of screens is a particularly vivid work. The right-hand screen depicts a large ship entering a port in Japan, the captain and his party on shore, and missionaries. In contrast, the left-hand screen shows sea captains convening on a terrace in a foreign country and Western women wearing fanciful garments. The most plausible theory attributes the work to Kanō Sanraku.

Notable Works

Namban

SUNTORY MUSEUM of ART