Celebrate "2021" with our handmade craftsmanship. A fan craftsman with 50 years of experience puts his heart and soul into his work.

This is a product of a successful crowdfunding project in July 2019, two months after the first issue of 2021.

Limited quantity! Commemorative folding fan for the anniversary of the change of the Japanese era "2025", made by a fan craftsman who puts his heart and soul into each one.

About the folding fan for the new year

Since the latter half of the Edo period, we have been displaying fans with the name of the new year on them in our stores to let shopkeepers know the date of the new year and the zodiac sign of the year.

It is a white fan of 9" (about 27cm) in size. It is said that this fan was not for sale, but was made as a tool to inscribe the date of issue on many of our products, including our ukiyo-e prints.

It is said that there was a time lag of about one month before the new year became known to each clan and the townspeople of Edo, although the new year was carefully chosen and decided through discussions between the Imperial Court and the shogunate, as is the case today.

This is the first time in our company's more than 400-year history that we have sold fans for the new year to the general public. Since that time, the new year, the Chinese zodiac, and the date of the new year have been written together, and the writing has been done in accordance with this tradition. However, the date and month were written in the old calendar (lunar calendar) at that time, but this fan is written in the new calendar (solar calendar).

Commitment to Products

In celebration of the new year, we have asked calligrapher Mr. Hiroharu Masunaga (*1) to write calligraphy on the folding fan, and will produce a limited edition of 300 fans with "2021" calligraphy. The fan will be made of "Susudake", a type of sooty bamboo collected in 1989. The fan surface is made of Echizen "Torinoko Washi" and comes in a paulownia wood box.

The bamboo is fumigated with smoke for a long period of time, from 2 to 30 years, and is one of the finest materials among bamboo materials. The parts directly exposed to the smoke are darkly discolored, but the parts not directly exposed to the smoke, such as ropes wrapped around the bamboo, are lightly discolored, thus creating a beautiful expression of shading on a single bamboo piece. Nowadays, the number of sooty bamboo itself tends to be scarce, and it is not unusual for a single piece to cost several hundred thousand yen or more.

Writing by Mr. Hiroharu Masunaga

(*1), the energy of Masunaga's entire body is captured in the brush as the ink runs across the surface of the brush, creating an imaginative work of art. He has received numerous awards, including the Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition's Fourth Division Excellence Award. He has held solo exhibitions in Dubai, Sydney, Rome, Berlin, and Algeria, as well as in Japan. The beauty of running ink is highly appreciated overseas and contributes to the spread of the endless Japanese culture.

Thoughts on the Project

Ibasen, which has walked with the history of Edo and has carefully nurtured the fan culture from the Edo period to the present, is also making efforts to train young craftsmen in order to pass on the fan culture to the next generation.

On the occasion of the change of era, based on our corporate mission to connect the fan culture to the next generation, we will promote the development of young fan craftsmen who will lead the future through the production of "Reiwa" fans made of the highest quality materials. This time, we will carefully craft each and every one of our fans and deliver them to you with our craftsmen's heart and soul.

Commemorative "2021" fan in a paulownia wood box

Regular
¥8,800
Sale
¥8,800
Regular
¥8,800
Sold Out
Unit Price
per 

Size: 7.5 cm (22.5 cm)
Fan bone: "Hon soot bamboo" (collected in 1989)
Fan face: Echizen "Torinoko Washi" in a paulownia wood box

Made by Ibasen

This is a perfect gift for your loved ones to celebrate the new year together with your wishes for happiness and peace.

It is also an ideal gift for Mother's Day or Father's Day to commemorate the growth of children who will lead the new era of 2025.

Reasons why fans are considered lucky

IbasenColumn article in TopicsIs a fan good luck? Reasons why fans are good luck and points to keep in mind when giving them as gifts"also describes the reasons why fans are considered to be good luck, so please take a look.

Limited quantity! Commemorative folding fans made by a fan craftsman one by one with all his heart and soul for the anniversary of the change of the Japanese calendar in 2025.

Click here for the crowdfunding Makuake page

This page is reprinted from the above page of Makuake.