japanese antique slatted wood screen, accounting table screen, tea ceremony screen

Love Japanese Style Like We Do

An antique Japanese wood screen, or choba-goshi;  a screen found in old Japanese shops in the Edo and Meiji eras. This low slatted screen, placed around the front of the accounting desk, partitioned off the accounting area, which was usually to be seen on a raised platform as you entered the shop. The screen, although small and low, indicated to customers that this was a space for only the shop owner and his staff. 

An account ledger (chomen), an abacus (soroban), a money counter (zeni masu) and calligraphy box (suzuribako) were placed on top of the accounting desk. To the side of the desk, within easy reach the money box (zenibako) could be found. There would also have been a hibachi nearby for making tea and keeping warm.

The screen is made from Japanese cypress wood. The wood is thick making the screen quite heavy and very stable. It is a lovely, warm dark brown color and has the beautiful patina of age. The front section is 95 cm (37.4”) long and the side section is 41 cm (16.1”) long. The two sections are joined with a metal hinge which has slightly rusted. The slats give the screen a light, airy feel.

The partition is in good condition with the dents, chips and  scratches collected over time, adding to its rustic appeal. It has been cleaned and given a light wax. 

The choba goshi makes a great backdrop for a floor display, in the corner of a room, together with a special ornament or basket of flowers. It can also be placed  on top of a chest or cabinet, or used as a tea ceremony screen. It is an item that is not easy to come by these days and is a wonderful piece of Japanese mingei folk craft.

- small panel measures 41 cm (16.1”) x 42.5 cm (16.7”) tall x 3 cm (1.2”) deep
- large panel measures 95 cm (37.4”) long x 42.5 cm (16.7”) tall x x 3 cm (1.2”) deep
- weighs 4,000 gm.

(listing for slatted screen only)

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ABOUT OUR VINTAGE AND ANTIQUE ITEMS
We list pieces we feel are worthy of display. There may be scratches, dents, fading and signs of wear and tear. We try to explain the condition of each item exactly, but may miss something.

Information regarding the item and it’s age is obtained from dealers and our personal research. We do our best to give you the correct information but please be aware that we cannot guarantee this information.

Please message us prior to purchase with any questions you may have about our products.

CHOBA-GOSHI/KEKKAI
Choba means ‘accounting,’  in Japanese. Kekkai is a very old Japanese concept, coming from a buddhist term, meaning to ‘limit access of a zone’. It is a concept peculiar to traditional Japanese style in forms such as shoji panels, fusuma sliding doors, screens and ranma. These partitions delimit a space, yet they are not a wall, allowing exchanges of sound, light, air, and ultimately connecting the space.

Behind the choba-goshi, partitioning off the accounting desk, an employee sat on a floor cushion, dealing with registers and accounts. The screen indicated an important space where money was being exchanged and where no one except  the owner and his assistant could enter. Yet, it was a slated screen, allowing vision,  and it was low allowing transactions to be made from its interior to its exterior, over the wood screen. In essence a symbolic divider of space.