History of Fans and Fans

In the ancient Takamatsuzuka burial mound, a noble lady is holding up a large fan-like object made of round wood and sewn with lacquer on a stick about 80 cm long. The fan was sliced and folded into a fan, which was the beginning of the fan.

Beginning of the fan

Beginning of the fan

China (Song Dynasty), 12th century

 

The hinoki fan is also carried by Hina dolls. However, the hinoki fan itself was also heavy, so paper and bamboo fans were made to make it easier to carry. It can be seen in Heian-emaki. The fans that are carried by court nobles and shoguns in TV historical dramas are also made of hinoki fans. It was also called "kawahori" (bat) because of its resemblance to the wings of a bat.
The compact size has continued to be developed and is still in use today.

Hina Dolls 1800s

Hina Dolls 1800s Enlargement

Hina dolls, 1800s

It was during the late Edo period (1603-1868) that fans became popular among the general public as summer possessions. Japanese fans began to go abroad around the 15th century. They went to China, where they were replaced by sandalwood fans, and to Europe, where they were replaced by silk fans. Although fans were for the aristocracy, it is said that there were many fan makers in Kyoto, Nanjing, Paris, and Madrid.
Fans, on the other hand, were mainly used by warlords to command their armies. The prototype of the fan of those days can still be seen today in the military fan carried by the Sumo Gyoji.

Tale of Genji Picture Scroll, 12th century

Tale of Genji Picture Scroll, 12th century

Picture scroll of The Tale of Genji, 12th century

 

Torii Kiyonaga, 18th century


Torii Kiyonaga, 18th century

 

Later, fans were also made lighter by using paper and bamboo. The paper was covered with gold leaf and painters were asked to draw luxurious patterns on it, which became popular among aristocrats. By the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867), the era of mass production and mass consumption began. The price of fans could no longer be met by hand-drawing, and woodblock printing techniques were used to make them affordable to the general public.

Kitagawa Utamaro, 19th century

Utamaro Kitagawa, 19th century

Utamaro Kitagawa, 19th century

 

Taking advantage of its position as a publisher of ukiyoe prints, Ibasen at that time ordered ukiyoe artists of the day - Utagawa Toyokuni, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, etc. - to produce and sell "fans as media" depicting summer scenes and tourist attractions.