Screen depicting dancers

A beautiful early screen depicting the daily activities and special pleasures of the time. The upper half of the picture is covered in clouds depicted in gold leaf, a fence surrounds a garden where a group of people is dancing while outside a fight is taking place. A large number of men and women wearing gorgeous kimonos are dancing in a circle to the music of drums and flutes, they are raising their hands in the air or hiding their faces as they dance in a wild and energetic manner. In one corner of the house, a woman in formal wear can be seen watching the dancing through a bamboo blind. Outside the gate, some people are join in with the dancing but most of the men are involved in a fight, creating an interesting contrast between the inside and outside of the house.
A twenty-one line Ryutatsubushi poem has been applied over the gold clouds in the style of Koetsu’s calligraphy. This style of poetry was created by TAKASABU Ryutatsu (1527 - 1611), a priest from Sakai, and was very popular in the period between 1592 and 1614.