Namban Screens

Kanō Naizen · Kobe City Museum · c. 1600

Right screen Left screen

Namban Screens by Kanō Naizen, left-hand folding screen

Kobe City Museum; Google Arts (public-domain artwork)

Object

Artist: Kanō Naizen
Date: c. 1600
Period: Azuchi–Momoyama / early Edo
Collection: Kobe City Museum
Location: Kobe, Japan
Materials: Ink, color, and gold leaf on paper
Format: Pair of six-panel folding screens (byōbu)
Provenance: Kanō school commission; municipal collection

A Portuguese nao drops anchor at Nagasaki; Jesuit priests, African retainers, and merchants in bombastic pantaloons parade before a castle.