Kurashiki Byobu Festival (held on October 19 and 20, 2019) — An event where you can explore the Bikan Historical Area and its surroundings in a day and enjoy it however you like.

There’s something wonderful about the lively atmosphere of a festival.
Even as adults, they still get us excited.

Festivals are held throughout the year in the Bikan Historical Area.
Of them, the Kurashiki Byobu Festival is highly recommended for anyone who isn’t very familiar with the Bikan Historical Area!

That’s because you can enjoy a stroll around town while taking in the festival, and visit shops that are usually difficult to enter.

As you admire colorful folding screens and others that seem to have a long history, you might find a shop or facility you like and think, “I’ll come back here.”

Here’s a look at the 2019 Kurashiki Byobu Festival.

What is the Kurashiki Byobu Festival?

The Kurashiki Byobu Festival is an event held in conjunction with the autumn grand festival of Achi Shrine.

It is said that in the past, during the autumn grand festival, each household in the neighborhood removed the doors facing the street, displayed folding screens, arranged flowers, and welcomed visitors.

The custom died out once during the Meiji period, but the present-day festival was revived in 2002 through the efforts of local volunteers.

In April 2017, it was recognized as one of the cultural properties comprising the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “Japan Heritage.”

In addition to folding screens, family heirlooms are displayed in homes, and supporting exhibits of folding screens are held at facilities around the Bikan Historical Area.

Achi Shrine — the guardian shrine watching over Kurashiki from atop the hill. Achi Wisteria is another highlight

As you walk along the Kurashiki River in the Bikan Historical Area, you’ll see a small hill to the northeast. It is Mt. Tsurugata, and the shrine visible at its summit is Achi Shrine. Achi…

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Allow about two hours to see the main and supporting exhibits

The Kurashiki Byobu Festival features two main types of exhibits:

• Folding-screen displays in traditional townhouses from Honmachi to Higashimachi (the main exhibits)
• Supporting exhibits around the Bikan Historical Area

You should allow about two hours to take a good look at each.

I say this because at the 2018 Byobu Festival, I spent about an hour looking at the “folding-screen displays in traditional townhouses from Honmachi to Higashimachi,” and in 2019, I spent about an hour looking at the “supporting exhibits around the Bikan Historical Area.”

If you just take a quick peek, it will take less time; conversely, if you want to look around more thoroughly, it will take longer.

The supporting exhibits

At the 2019 festival, I left the main exhibits for later and focused on the supporting exhibits.
Here are some that made a lasting impression on me.

Features of the supporting exhibits around the Bikan Historical Area

One feature of the supporting exhibits is that you can stroll around the Bikan Historical Area and its surrounding neighborhoods.

It’s also an ideal route if you’re thinking, “Last time I only saw the main exhibits, so this time I’ll focus on the supporting exhibits.”

I saw both the main and supporting exhibits, but if I had to choose, I’d say I preferred the main exhibits.

That said, both are well worth seeing.

Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan

The folding screen at Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan is the first one you’ll see if you’re coming toward the Bikan Historical Area from the station.

Perhaps for that reason—or because it is a “folding screen reproducing a National Treasure using high-definition digital technology”—there are a great many visitors!

There are more people here than at any of the other folding-screen displays.

▼There was also a folding screen in the multipurpose hall.

Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan — a popular community space for events and rentals at the entrance to the Bikan Historical Area

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Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft

The folding screen at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft was displayed to the left of the reception desk.
Photography was permitted as long as you didn’t use flash.

When you visit, please ask before taking photos.

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Kurashiki Archaeological Museum

The folding screen at the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum was just to the right of the entrance.

The festival pamphlet marked it as “admission charged,” but no one said anything, and I was able to view it without paying. You can also take photos of the folding screen.

However, please ask before taking photos.

Kurashiki Archaeological Museum — exhibits of artifacts from the Paleolithic period through ancient Kibi Province in an Edo-period rice storehouse

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Ryokan Kurashiki

The display at Ryokan Kurashiki was an unusual folding screen made of flowers.

You go in through the entrance and head to the room on the right, but it was a little hard to find…
I wandered around looking for it, and people started to look at me suspiciously.

In that situation, just ask, “Where is the folding screen?” and they’ll show you.

The area where the folding screen was displayed was also the ryokan’s smoking area, so it was filled with the smell of cigarettes.
If you dislike cigarette smoke, you won’t want to stay long.

I thought, “What a shame, when the folding screen is so beautiful…”

Folding-screen displays in traditional townhouses from Honmachi to Higashimachi

The folding-screen displays in traditional townhouses from Honmachi to Higashimachi are the main exhibits of the festival.

The screens on display don’t all change every year.
Some may be the same, while others may be new.

If you attend for a second time or more, seeing what has changed is part of the fun.

Features of the townhouse folding-screen displays from Honmachi to Higashimachi

If this is your first time seeing folding screens at the festival, I recommend this section.

One feature is that you can see more than 20 different kinds of folding screens.
You can also casually enter shops and ryokan that might normally feel difficult to visit.

There are also lots of people out and about, giving you a real sense of “It’s a festival!”

Ohara House Katalyzer

Ohara House Katalyzer displayed “Carp” by Shiko Munakata. The fish are not realistic carp; their somewhat stylized appearance is charming.

▼There was another folding screen as well.
Also by Shiko Munakata, it is titled “School of Carp.”

Ohara House Katalyzer (Former Ohara Family Residence) — A Residence Packed with the Beauty of Kurashiki

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Achi Shrine

Folding screens created by students from Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts were on display on the grounds of Achi Shrine.
Students created folding screens in the same way in 2018, too!

▼They were also displayed at other locations, not just Achi Shrine.
This one is at Gallery Hashimaya.

▼The 2018 Byobu Festival article explains how the decision was made to create folding screens as part of a class.

Kurashiki Byobu Festival — An Old Yet New Festival That Brings You Closer to the Streets and Atmosphere of the Bikan Historical Area (2018)

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Hashimaya Kimono Shop

In 2019, Hashimaya Kimono Shop once again displayed a folding screen by Tomoki Moriyama, a Japanese-style painter who is also a professor at Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts.

As in 2018, it’s one of my favorite works.

Enjoy More Than Just Folding Screens

The Byobu Festival is an event where you can also enjoy strolling around town.

▼You can watch the Kurashiki Senzairaku parade.

▼Suinkyo are wandering all over the place, too, so if you run into one, ask them to tap you on the head with a fan.
It’s said to bring good fortune.

▼Be sure to enjoy the ikebana, too.

▼The lovely-smiling Kurashiki Komachi were near the Byobu Festival headquarters!

From the Writer

There are many different ways to enjoy the Byobu Festival.

You can set out to see every folding screen and walk all around the Bikan Historical Area.
It’s also perfectly fine to see only the ones that catch your eye.

You could ignore the folding screens and enjoy Achi Shrine’s autumn grand festival, or focus on sampling the local food.

There are no rules, so I hope you find a way to enjoy it that suits you.

Articles About the Kurashiki Byobu Festival

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