are a genre of Japanese woodblock print, which appear on rigid, paddle-shaped hand fans known as . Ovoid images matching the outline of were printed on rectangular sheets of rice paper, then cut along the margins and pasted onto a skeletal bamboo frame.Bell 2004, xivMarks 2010, 14

characteristics Unlike folding hand fans, which originated in Japan in the 6th or 7th century,Halsey and Friedman 1983, 556 non-folding flat, oval or "bean-shaped"Newland 2005, 431 were a Chinese import. In terms of popular usage, had a close connection with Edo urban culture which gained momentum during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Folding fans, known as , or , remained the dominant accessory within the realm of the sophisticated court culture prevailing in Kyoto at the time.

Historically, were an ostensibly feminine accessory, with men more typically carrying folding fans.Salter 2006, 25 They were simultaneously fashion accessories and functional items for daily use.Newland 2005, 431 They are strongly associated with summer, having been sold only during the summer months, and often decorated with summer imagery. At least one critic argues that, due to their use by women during periods of intense heat, "can have suggestive connotations."Salter 2006, 79

are used by many today as devices for personal cooling, as well as for fanning rice to cool it in the preparation of sushi. More ceremonially, they can still be seen in a number of contexts, including a variety of summer dance performances and as an accessory carried by referees during sumo matches.

history with printed designs were first produced in Japan sometime in or prior to the 1680s. One of the earliest extant examples is a 1684 by entitled , which includes illustrations within fan-shaped frames. Other notable examples placing within a socio-historical context are prints by from 1767 or 1768 featuring (fan sellers), and an 1814 print by Utagawa Kunisada depicting kabuki actor Ichikawa Dannosuke II in the role of a fan vendor.Newland 2005, 432

One historical fan vendor whose life is well-recorded is . Ebiya printed and sold both fan and standard-sized prints until around 1895. Although Ebiya's publishing house originally commissioned designs from Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Kuniyoshi exclusively, they expanded their roster to include other artists from the late 1850s.Marks 2010, 27

During the 19th century, the production of and prints was under the strict control of a guild of fan publishers operating under a system of rules and regulations different from those applying to regular published prints. Beginning in 1815 and lasting to the end of the Edo period (1603-1868), fan prints were commonly marked with seals indicating their year of publication.

Examples Most, if not all, major Edo period woodblock print artists worked within the medium in addition to with standard prints and illustrated books. designs fall into all of the major categories of prints, including (actor prints), (beauties), (landscapes), (nature prints) and (warrior prints). Some notable works which survive in collections today are by Katsukawa Shunshō (1726–1793), Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825), Kunisada (1786–1865), Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) and Hiroshige (1797-1858).

are by definition accessories intended for practical, everyday use. As a result of their frequent handling, few pristine mounted examples of remain.Harris 2010, 106 For this reason, art historian Amy Reigle Newland has suggested that "are probably among the most elusive of all categories of prints to study and collect."

See also Fan print with two bugaku dancers (Kunisada)

Notes

References

Bell, David. Ukiyo-e Explained. Kent, U.K.: Global Oriental, 2004. Halsey, William Darrach and Friedman, Emanuel. "Folding fan." Collier's Encyclopedia, vol. 9. Macmillan Educational Co., 1983. Harris, Frederick. Ukiyo-e: The Art of the Japanese Print. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2010. Marks, Andreas. Japanese Woodblock Prints: Artists, Publishers and Masterworks 1680-1900. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2010. Newland, Amy Reigle. Ed. The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints. Vol. 2. Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, 2005. Salter, Rebecca. Japanese Popular Prints: From Votive Strips to Playing Cards. London: A & C Black, 2006.