I have loved admiring large folding-screen paintings for a long time. Whenever I visit an exhibition of a certain type of byobu (folding screen) at a museum or art gallery, I have a desire to go on gazing at them forever. At a special exhibition last year, I encountered a byobu in which the picture or design changed depending on how it was folded, and so I became interested in the fascinating structure of byobu too. 
   Wishing to learn more about byobu, I visited the Kataoka Byobu Store, the only byobu specialty store remaining in Tokyo, where I discovered that today this traditional decorative item is being arranged in a variety of ways. Byobu are not only displayed in museums; they also have much potential for being used in a wide range of ways in modern living spaces and events.