Wikipedia
A is a portable multi-paneled silk partition supported by a two-rod T-pole. It came into use in aristocratic households during and following the Heian period in Japan when it became a standard piece of furniture. They are similar in appearance to noren.
The kichō is often placed just on the inside of bamboo blinds, forming a portable double privacy barrier to the outside of the house. They are also used as portable room dividers inside the house. 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. Smaller versions called were carried by the female attendants of a noble woman in order to hide her from public view while she traveled.