Curtain - Manmaku

A type of cloth shielding device. While a curtain is made of cloth sewn together horizontally, a hanging curtain is made of cloth sewn together vertically. Sometimes, only the top and bottom or the top edge are made of horizontal cloth, and the rest of the cloth is sewn together vertically. In the Wamyō Ruijūshō, the word for a curtain is “madaramaku,” meaning a spotted curtain (madaramaku), which is a type of curtain that features vertical splices of cloth made of various colors such as white and indigo, white and navy blue, white and red, and indigo and red. The white and navy blue curtains were later replaced by white and black spotted curtains, which were commonly called kujiramaku. The material was mainly hemp, but sometimes silk, twill, and brocade were also used, and it is said that curtains were not used in ceremonies, especially at the imperial court, and curtains were used exclusively, as well as in the boxes for dance and music performances, on ships, and in military camps. Furthermore, short curtains used to hang around shrines and ceremonial grounds are called byo-dori (folding screens), and those used at the entrance, narrowed in the middle to form a gate, are called nozomi-mon (traditional gates).

[Mizuo Miyamoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

布製の遮蔽(しゃへい)具の一種。幕が布を横に縫い合わせるのに対し、布を縦に縫い合わせる垂れ幕のことで、ときには、上下または上端だけを横布にし、そのほかは縦の布を縫い合わせる場合もある。幔は、『倭名類聚抄(わみょうるいじゅしょう)』に「万多良万久(まだらまく)」とあり、斑幔(はんまん)（まだらまく）のことをさすが、これは幔幕のことで、白と縹(はなだ)、白と紺、白と紅、縹と紅など種々の色裂(いろぎれ)を取り合わせて、縦に布を継ぎ合わせるのを特色とした。なかでも、白と紺は、のちに白と黒の斑幔にかわり、これは俗に鯨幕(くじらまく)とよばれた。地質は主として麻布であるが、ときには絹や綾(あや)、錦(にしき)なども用いられ、とくに宮廷における儀式には幕は用いられず、もっぱら幔幕が用いられたといわれ、ほかに舞楽の桟敷(さじき)、船上、軍陣などにも幔幕が使用された。なお、短い幔幕で舎殿や祭場の周囲に張るのに用いるのを屏幔(へいまん)といい、その入口に用いるために中央を絞って門の体裁につくったものを幔門といった。

［宮本瑞夫］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例