uchiwa　団扇

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Also read dansen. A round or oval fan made of paper or silk pasted over a framework of thin strips of bamboo. Historically, this type of fan dates back to ancient China where it was used by courtiers and women for cooling, for protecting the face against sunlight and wind, and for ceremonial and funeral decorations. Beginning in the Han dynasty, uchiwa were mentioned in poems and were inscribed by famous calligraphers. Round fans were also popular in Korea during the Middle Ages where they were used by men as well as women for cooling at home; women and children used brightly colored fans. large uchiwa on long poles were used to keep flies and mosquitoes away from the bedsides. Uchiwa were introduced in Japan from China and examples remain in the Nara *Shousouin 正倉院 and at Kouryuuji 広隆寺 in Kyoto. MAN'YOUSHUU 万葉集 includes poems mentioning uchiwa. In addition to the usual paper covering, leaves, bird feathers and brightly colored silks were also employed. In the Heian period, the folding fan *ougi 扇 was invented and the popularity of the uchiwa began to decline, but continued to be used for ceremonial purposes within the court. After the Sengoku 戦国 period, uchiwa of lacquered metal or animal hides with painted designs of the sun, moon or astrological signs were used by military leaders in their camps to ward off enemy arrows. Uchiwa are also used by sumou 相撲 referees to indicate the winner of the bout. Uchiwa made of feathers with paintings of *tengu 天狗 (mythical bird-like dwellers of the forests), called hotsukisen 貴扇, are used by yamabushi 山伏 (mountain priests) of the Shugendou 修験道 sect. During the Edo period, uchiwa made for certain regional shrines became popular items for travelers to take back from those areas as gifts. From about the 1680s to the 1700s. uchiwa were popular accouterments for women and were designed and decorated to satisfy their fashion sense. These were often painted with *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 beauties or portraits of famous *kabuki 歌舞伎 actors. Many kinds of uchiwa were made during the Edo period. One type was treated with persimmon juice and used to fan the hearth flames in the kitchen. It became customary in the late Edo period to give uchiwa as gifts for obon お盆 and chuugen 中元 (festivals in the 7th lunar month) and this custom remains today.

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