A Japanese antique folding screen has been given to the College by Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan.
The seven- by ten-foot screen is an example of one of the most distinctive pieces of traditional Japanese furniture. Byobu-“barrier against the wind”-were used as decorative backdrops for ceremonies or for dividing space in large rooms. Originally introduced from the Asian continent with the transmission of Buddhism in the seventh century, by the tenth century Japanese visitors to China were offering Japanese byobu to their hosts as gifts.
The nineteenth-century piece was presented on Founders Day by Sadato Tanimoto, president of Kansai Gaidai University, with which Union has an exchange program. President Roger Hull accepted the gift during President Tanimoto's visit to receive an honorary degree.
The screen bears the signature of Kano Yoshinobu, who painted works for temples and shrines in Kyoto. The painting contains popular symbols-bamboo of strength and resiliency, plum tree blossoms of new life, and cranes of longevity, prosperity, and happiness.