shiro-e byōbu 白絵屏風

Also read shira-e byōbu. A folding screen bearing motifs painted in ink or mica *kirara 雲母粉 on a white silk surface (see *hakubyō 白描). Each monochrome panel is bordered in white brocade. Motifs are customarily the auspicious emblems of the phoenix *hōō 鳳凰, with paulownia, kiri 桐, and bamboo. After the 15th century, cranes and tortoises with pine and bamboo became a popular subject. Because shiro-e byōbu were set up in rooms where babies were born, they are often called ubuya byōbu 産所屏風 meaning birthplace screen. Similar screens were occasionally used at wedding ceremonies through the Edo period.