flat; painted backdrop piece
A portable painted panel used as part of the stage scenery in kabuki and other traditional theater. Often a flat piece of scenery that can be moved or changed quickly.
In kabuki, they quickly change the flats to switch scenes.
That backdrop piece depicts an Edo-period townscape.
Standard modern spelling with okurigana.
Abbreviated kanji spelling; common in theater contexts.
Less common variant; 書き割り is preferred.
Compound of 書き (kaki, 'writing' or 'painting') + 割り (wari, 'splitting' or 'dividing'), referring to painted panels that can be split or moved. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is firmly associated with kabuki stagecraft.