Kurashiki Byobu Festival (held on October 18 and 19, 2025) - A seasonal tradition of autumn featuring works by local high school and university students, as well as new initiatives such as audio navigation.

Every year on the day of the Achi Shrine Autumn Grand Festival, the Kurashiki Byobu Matsuri is held.

This year, it will be held over the course of two days on October 18 (Saturday) and 19 (Sunday), 2025, with folding screens displayed inside townhouses that were opened to the public.

Since its revival in 2002, it has become one of the autumn traditions of the Bikan Historical Area, but this year, some slightly different initiatives were also undertaken.

What is the Kurashiki Byobu Matsuri?

The Kurashiki Byobu Matsuri is a tradition that began in the Edo period and was once held on the days of the spring and autumn grand festivals. It temporarily ceased in the late Meiji period but was revived in 2002 through the efforts of local residents.

Since then, it has been cherished as part of Kurashiki's autumn festivals, along with the Achi Shrine Autumn Grand Festival and Suinkyo.

Originally held in Honmachi and Higashimachi, it has now spread throughout the entire Bikan Historical Area.

In the 2025 Byobu Matsuri, folding screens were displayed in 36 houses (38 locations) within the Bikan Historical Area.

Kurashiki Byobu Matsuri - Reviving a historic tradition that disappeared in the Meiji period. Bringing vibrancy back to the town to preserve Kurashiki's history and culture.

The Kurashiki Byobu Matsuri is an event held on the day of the Achi Shrine Autumn Grand Festival, the town's guardian deity. It is held every October, opening townhouses to the public and displaying folding screens inside...

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Introduction of audio guides via smartphones

In the 2025 Byobu Matsuri, a new initiative was launched.

By providing audio guides using smartphones, visitors can now scan the QR codes displayed at each spot to access audio guides.

The audio guide system utilizes the multilingual audio guide navigation "MUSENAVI," provided by the Kurashiki City system company People Software Co., Ltd..

Additionally, the narration for the audio guide was handled by students from the broadcasting club of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Seiryo High School.

Yuki Tsutsui, the head of the broadcasting club at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Seiryo High School, spoke about this initiative as follows.

Tsutsui (honorifics omitted)

This time, we were responsible for the narration of the audio guide for the folding screens.

It was a sudden request with a lot of scripts, but what was particularly difficult was figuring out how to convey the emotions while reading without having the photos of the works during the recording.

As a result, I stumbled over my words and needed to re-record multiple times, which took a lot of time. However, when I actually heard my narration at the venue, I felt that the explanations were easy to understand and helped deepen the understanding of the works.

It was a collaborative production involving many people, and seeing it together made me feel, "It really is good." The schedule was tight, but we achieved good results, and I am truly glad to have been involved in this project.

The day's events

The following are photos showcasing the events of the Kurashiki Byobu Matsuri that took place on October 19, 2025.

Works by Students of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Seiryo High School

Kurashiki Community Center hosted an exhibition of collaborative works by the art and calligraphy clubs of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Seiryo High School.

Here, a "Viewing Facilitation System" combining robots and generative AI, developed by People Software Co., Ltd. and the Nakazawa Laboratory of Okayama University Faculty of Engineering, was also on display.

I spoke with Haruna Kuniyoshi from the art club about her experience creating the folding screen.

Kuniyoshi (honorifics omitted)

This time, we created a folding screen in collaboration with the calligraphy club, and it was our first challenge to paint on plywood.

The most difficult part was the preparatory work before starting to paint.
Cutting the plywood to fit the frame we received and sanding it was very challenging. Unlike paper, the board is hard to cut, so we needed a lot of hands to help.

During the production, we made sketches and checked the layout on full-size paper, working through trial and error.

For color expression, we used Gansai (Japanese watercolors).
At first, I thought it would turn out with not much color, but when I actually painted with Gansai, it became a very good piece. I am really satisfied.

Also, at first, I felt like I was "painting on a board" since I was drawing without the frame, but when I actually saw the work on display, I realized that I was painting a folding screen.

Works by Students of Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts

Additionally, at Jazz Cafe Avenue and Kamishima Lantern, works from the Japanese painting seminar of the Faculty of Arts at Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts were on display.

Three students who covered the production process were also explaining their works to visitors, so I asked for their impressions.

What was the most challenging part of creating the folding screen this time?

Fujiwara (honorifics omitted)

We had never made a folding screen before, and we had only painted flat pictures. Therefore, just thinking about "folding" was completely different from our previous works.

In particular, it was challenging to be aware of the folds of the folding screen while painting. Even when painting as a flat surface, we had to consider that it would be viewed from an angle, requiring a different perspective than before.

After finishing the production, are there any expressions or themes you would like to challenge in the future?

Fujiwara

As I went through trial and error, I tended to express myself by layering colors like in Western painting or oil painting, so in the future, I would like to challenge myself to express the classical methods and brush movements of Japanese painting.

Tsunoda (honorifics omitted)

This time, I painted a landscape with an abstract atmosphere, but if I have the next opportunity, I would like to try painting still lifes or animals instead of landscapes.

Hiratsuka (honorifics omitted)

If I have the next opportunity, I would like to pay more attention to the frame part as well.

Kurashiki Folding Screen Project - Students of Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts create Japanese paintings from scratch

The "Kurashiki Folding Screen Festival," revived in 2002 through the efforts of local people, is held in conjunction with the autumn festival at Achi Shrine, where townhouses are opened to the public and folding screens are displayed indoors. Among them...

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Conclusion

Since its revival in 2002, it has become established as an autumn tradition, but I felt changes with the display of works from younger generations and the introduction of new services.

The Kurashiki Folding Screen Festival will surely continue in the coming years.
While cherishing the unchanging aspects, I look forward to the Kurashiki Folding Screen Festival next year, as new elements are gradually added and harmonized.

Articles about the Kurashiki Folding Screen Festival

Data on the Kurashiki Byobu Festival

Name	Kurashiki Byobu Festival
Date	October 18 (Saturday) and 19 (Sunday), 2025 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location	Bikan Historical Area, Kurashiki
Participation Fee (including tax)	Free (some facilities may charge a fee)
Website	Kurashiki Byobu Festival

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