A kichō (几帳) is a portable multi-paneled silk partition supported by a two-rod T-pole[1].
It came into use in aristocratic households during and following the Heian period in Japan[2] when it became a standard piece of furniture.[3]
They are similar in appearance to noren.
The kichō is often placed just on the inside of bamboo blinds (Sudare), forming a portable double privacy barrier to the outside of the house.
They are also used as portable room dividers inside the house.[4]
Today, they are most often used as decorations or to hide boxes or other unsightly messes in a home.
In former times, they would often be used to hide noble women from public eyes when they visited shrines or temples, and to provide additional privacy for the women at home.[5]
Smaller versions called sashikichō (差几帳) were carried by the female attendants of a noble woman in order to hide her from public view while she traveled.
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