Important Meiji Period Japanese Imperial Gilded Fabric Four Panel Folding Screen Room Divider Depicting Itsukushima Shrine. This four-panel Japanese screen depicts the Itsukushima Shrine nestled within a coastal landscape, featuring the iconic "floating" torii gate and various boats navigating the deep blue waters. This four panel screen comes in 2 parts. The composition of one of them is characterized by traditional gold leaf clouds that frame the scene, separating the detailed architectural structures from the distant, rolling green mountains. The second one features groups of people gathered on red mats along the shoreline, while several small boats with white sails navigate the deep blue waters of the bay.

Size: 67 1/4 x 73 3/4 in (each 2 panel screen).

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto sanctuary located on the island of Miyajima in Hiroshima Bay, renowned for its iconic vermilion torii gate that appears to float on the sea at high tide. Originally established in the 6th century and later expanded under the patronage of the warlord Taira no Kiyomori, the shrine is dedicated to the three Munakata goddesses associated with the sea, storms, and safe passage. Built on stilts over tidal flats, its architecture harmonizes with the surrounding landscape, reflecting Shinto principles of purity and reverence for nature by minimizing disturbance to the sacred island itself. The shrine’s shifting relationship with the tides underscores themes of impermanence and balance, making Itsukushima both a spiritual site and a living expression of Japan’s integration of ritual, environment, and aesthetics.

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