A World of Edo Art
Many Edo artworks remain unsigned, and we will never know the names of the artists who created them. In the Edo period there was no Japanese word for "art" or for "artist" because so many of the artworks exhibited in museums today were integrated into the functions of daily life, serving practical purposes. The byōbu folding screens, whose beauty and elegance transformed the spaces they were displayed in for guests, were also used as room dividers in traditional Japanese residences. Many painters may have considered themselves shokunin (craftspeople) and, while proud of their creations, not worthy of attaching their individual names to them.
