The Edo period was a time when the merchant class prospered, and reflecting this, the Edo Oshi-e developed. It became especially famous when it was used for decorating battledores.
Until then, patterns that were symbols of luck and happiness such as shichifukujin (the seven deities of good fortune> and pine, bamboo and plum trees were mainly used for batteldores. However, when kabuki became popular between 1688 - 1704, the pictures of kabuki actors were painted, and from 1804 -1830, batteldores of kabuki actors' portraits made with oshi-e were produced. With the popularity of kabuki and the progress in oshi-e techniques, the kabuki actor batteldores sold in huge numbers.
At the year-end, one could tell how popular a kabuki actor was by the number of battledores sold, and with these batttledores, Edo oshi-e became widely known to the public.

1. 1. Making paper patterns A draft picture is drawn, and a paper pattern is made and cut out, taking the overlap width into account.
   
2. 2. Cutting the cardboard The pattern is traced onto the cardboard, which is to become the base, and the cardboard is cut.
   
3. 3. Wrapping cotton Cotton is placed on the cut out cardboard, and it is then wrapped with silk or cotton fabric.
   
4. 4. Assembling Japanese paper is applied to each part as a protection sheet, and the parts are assembled.
   
5. 5. Coloring When drawing a face, the oshi-e is painted with a solution made of alum and glue, followed by whitewash to smoothen the surface, and is then colored with pigments.
   
6. 6. Drawing Glue, whitewash and pigments are mixed to paint the patterns of the kimono.
   
   The method of making a batteldore and a framed picture are slightly different. The way cotton is inserted and how the oshi-e is assembled differs depending on what the final product is.