Hello everyone. This is Staff T.
The rainy season has begun, but the days without much rain are continuing. There are many ways to describe the sunny days in between the rainy season, such as “the clear skies of the rainy season,” “the May sunshine,” and “the clear skies of the rainy season,” but it feels as if we are being steamed and roasted with the dampness of the rainy season.

There is a breeze today, but many people I pass on this hot day have small fans in their hands. It was around 2017 that they became popular. As to why they became popular, it is said that it is actually due to the influence of K-Pop idols. It is said that K-pop idols started using them and girls who saw them and liked idols brought them out. Today, they are used by people of all ages and are now a common sight in Japan.

 

When they were all the rage, of course I got on board and bought one, but I felt a little embarrassed at myself for using it in the same way as the young people, and eventually it became a burden in my luggage when I went out and got in the way, so I had to go back to using a fan.
For some reason, I usually carry a heavy bag, so a lightweight fan was more convenient to carry and took up less space. It’s an afterthought, but it’s also eco-friendly (lol).

 

When opened quickly, a fan reveals beautifully patterned and glossy paper, and when closed, its dignified appearance is eye-catching. Originating in the Heian period (794-1185), fans are still valued in a variety of settings, including traditional performing arts, tea ceremonies, and daily use. It is one of the traditional crafts that Japan is proud of.

The history of the fan is long, dating back to the early Heian period (around the 8th century A.D.).
Instead of paper, which was precious at the time, fans were made by layering “mokkan,” thin wooden boards 2 to 3 cm wide, which were used as recording paper. It was called a “hiwogi” because it was mainly made of cypress wood. The shape was refined, and later various designs were painted on the surface of the fan, which became popular among women in the court service.
The oldest surviving fan is said to be a cypress fan inscribed with the date “Genkei 1 (877)” that was found in the arm of a statue of the Thousand-Armed Kannon at Toji Temple in Kyoto.

In the early days, hinoki fans were used by male aristocrats as a scepter (a long, thin sheet held in the right hand when wearing a sokutai) for official occasions, and they were also used as notepads for writing down complicated court etiquette. Eventually, the hinoki fan became more decorative, and the main part of the fan changed from paper twine to wooden nails, and it was reinforced with decorated metal fittings. The strings used to bind the wooden fan also became more decorative.
When pictures were drawn on the surface of the fan, it became popular among court ladies as a decorative item. The hinoki fans held by women were called nebu-fan (worn by women but worn by men), and were used not only as ornaments but also as tools for shielding one’s eyes from the gaze of others in an emergency.

 

Thus, the hinoki fan became a necessity for the aristocrats’ formal wear during the Heian period (794-1185), and was used not only for its original role as a fan, but also as a tool for courtesy, gift-giving, and communication.
The use of fans for writing waka poems or placing flowers on them as gifts is written in many literary works and historical books, such as The Tale of Genji and the Dragonfly Diary.

 

Following the hinoki fan, the “kawahori-ogi” (bat fan) appeared. This is a paper fan with one side covered with paper, but it is not known when it was created. The name “kawahori-ogi” is said to have originated from its shape resembling a bat or from a change in the sound of the word “kawahoshi” (paper fan).

The current common use of fans to keep cool became popular in the late Edo period (1603-1868), when the culture of the common people was flourishing. The original fan is Chinese, but the original fan is Japanese.
The fan is a wonderful item that is both compact and elegant for adults. As I researched, I found something else that caught my attention… I’ll continue the story another time.

See you soon.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)