Japanese Nanbanjin Folding Screen

This byobu, or folding screen, was created by Kano Naizen ca. 1593-1603. Referred to as the Arrival of the Southern Barbarians (Nanbanjin) Screen, the byobu's two sides provide a unique visualization from the Japanese perspective of the relations between Japan and Portugal in the early modern period. One side depicts the departure of a Portuguese merchant vessel from Goa, the center of Portuguese operations in India. The reverse side shows the arrival of the Portuguese ship in Nagasaki, Japan. Led by the richly-clothed Portuguese captain, a long, multi-cultural procession can be seen carrying the ship's goods from its anchorage into the city.