Elaborate nishiki-e woodblock prints or pictures of kabuki actors were used. In the turbulent Warring States period (1467–1568), the uchiwa-shaped military fans made from leather or iron known as gunbai were used for signaling in war.įrom the Edo period (1603–1868) onward, fans made with a bamboo frame, covered in paper, and decorated with a picture, became common. At the time, many of the fans in use were round in shape and uchiwa (団扇), which combines characters meaning “round” and “fan,” became the established name for them. In the twelfth-century picture scroll Yamai no sōshi (Diseases and Deformities), a low-ranking samurai is depicted holding an uchiwa-shaped fan made with leaves from the Chinese fan palm. Relics at the Shōsōin treasure house within the grounds of Nara’s Tōdaiji temple and the temple of Kōryūji in Kyoto also suggest that uchiwa were used by the imperial court and nobility during the Nara (710–794) and Heian periods (794–1185). It is said that people of high status used uchiwa to conceal their faces to preserve their dignity and also to ward off evil spirits and insects. They were introduced into Japan from China and have been found at archeological sites dating from the Kofun period (ca. Uchiwaįlat fans (known as uchiwa in Japanese) have been used in China since the Zhou dynasty (1046 BC–256 BC). In recent years, people may also be seen commuting with a small portable electric fan in hand. Sensu folding fans are particularly popular among overseas tourists, being a standard Japanese souvenir. As well as creating a cooling breeze, these fans can act as a stylish accessory when wearing kimono and yukata at bon odoridances, firework displays, and summer matsuri (festivals). ![]() ![]() The quintessential Japanese hand fans, uchiwa and sensu, can be used all year round, but they are most often seen in summer.
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