Landscape with Figures (Senzui byōbu)

This type of folding screen depicting a landscape (known in Japanese as senzui byōbu) was used in the Esoteric Shingon Buddhist tradition for the Abhiseka of the Dharma Transmission (denpō kanjō), an initiation ritual performed when a monk is consecrated as a full-fledged Esoteric master. This particular folding screen originally belonged to the Esoteric Shingon Buddhist temple of Tō-ji in Kyoto. Originally, however, senzui byōbu folding screens are believed to have been used as interior furnishings in the residences of Heian-period aristocrats.

Below an expansive landscape, this screen depicts an elderly man secluded in a humble mountain hermitage, engrossed in composing poetry. A youthful nobleman and his attendants are coming to visit him, suggesting a hierarchical relationship. 

This painting is a rare early example of kara-e, a type of Chinese-style painting that became popular in Heian-period Japan. All the characters are portrayed in Tang-style garb. The elderly man depicted here is believed to be Bai Juyi (772–846), the famous Tang poet and statesman. 

In terms of artistic technique, the depiction of the figures, mountains, water, trees, rocks, and other elements exhibit the gentle and refined aesthetic characteristic of painting from the latter half of the Heian period.