Kyo Fans

  • Other crafts
  • Kyoto

Kyo Fans Kyo Uchiwa

Kyo Uchiwa is distinguished by its sashie construction, in which fine bamboo ribs are arranged radially and a separately made handle is inserted afterward. Delicate hand-painted designs and decorations using gold or silver leaf give the fans an elegant beauty valued both for practical use and as decorative works of art. It was designated a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government in 1977.

Description

What is Kyo Fans ?

Kyo Uchiwa are traditional Japanese hand fans produced mainly in Kyoto City and Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture. On October 14, 1977, they were designated as a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government.

Their defining feature is the sashi-e construction, in which the fan face and handle are made separately and the handle is inserted only after the fan face has been completed.

Fine bamboo ribs are arranged individually in a radial pattern and covered on both sides with washi paper. Kyo Uchiwa are also classified according to the number of ribs used, with names such as go-date, roku-date, and nana-date. Some highly refined examples use one hundred ribs and are known as hyaku-date.

The paper surface may be decorated with a wide range of traditional techniques, including gold- or silver-leaf application, sprinkled metallic decoration, hand cutting, torn-paper collage, stencil-based decoration, dyeing, hand painting, and woodblock printing.

Subjects include figures, landscapes, flowers and plants, haiku, waka poetry, and seasonal motifs. For this reason, Kyo Uchiwa have long been made not only as practical cooling tools but also as decorative works.

Handles may be made from bamboo or wood and can be polished with traditional wax or finished with lacquer. Once the fan face has been completed, the handle is inserted into it, creating the distinctive clean structure of Kyo Uchiwa.

Also known as Miyako Uchiwa or Gosho Uchiwa, the craft developed in close connection with Kyoto’s court culture, painting traditions, and decorative arts.

History

Kyo Uchiwa are generally considered to belong to a tradition derived from Korean-style fans characterized by numerous bamboo ribs enclosed within the paper surface.

According to sources from Kyoto City and Kyoto Prefecture, this type of fan reached western Japan from the Korean Peninsula around the Nanboku-cho period and was later transmitted to Kyoto.

Earlier fans were made with the ribs and handle as a continuous structure, but during the Edo period the distinctive sashi-e construction developed, with the fan face and handle made separately.

In Kyoto, highly decorative Gosho Uchiwa were produced for the imperial court and aristocratic society. Their surfaces were painted by artists associated with traditions such as the Tosa and Kano schools, helping establish the strong decorative character that remains associated with Kyo Uchiwa today.

The craft later spread beyond court circles and became known more widely as Miyako Uchiwa. Alongside their practical use for cooling, the fans developed as decorative objects incorporating painting and other traditional craft techniques.

From the Meiji period onward, production continued through a specialized division of labor involving bamboo workers, paper decorators, painters, printers, and other craftspeople.

On October 14, 1977, Kyo Uchiwa were designated as a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government.

Today, traditional processes such as bamboo-rib preparation, paper decoration, backing, nen-tsuke creasing, shaping, edge finishing, and insertion of the separate handle continue to be practiced.

Production Process

  1. 1. Cutting the bamboo Bamboo that has been dried is cut along its length and split vertically with a broad-bladed knife into strips that fit the dimensions of the fan.
  2. 2. Equalizing the edges The bamboo strips that will become the ribs of the fan are cut on the edges so that they are the same size.
  3. 3. Adjusting the thickness The strips are cut into very thin layers.
  4. 4. Indenting Little indents are made in the top of the strips.
  5. 5. Rubbing The indents at the top of the strips become bigger through rubbing. The indents split naturally on both sides along the bamboo fibers.
  6. 6. Planing The strips that will become the ribs of the fan are planed until they are the required thickness.
  7. 7. Decorating the paper The paper is decorated with various techniques like hand-painting, woodblock printing, dyeing, or making a collage.
  8. 8. Backing The backing paper and the ribs are pasted together. Then, the frame of the fan is created by pasting the backing paper onto the ribs and the thin paper.
  9. 9. Peeling The thin paper previously pasted onto the ribs is moistened and peeled away from the ribs.
  10. 10. Pasting The front paper is pasted onto the ribs and backing paper.
  11. 11. Fixing Once the glue is completely dry, the inside edge of each rib is pinched with a spatula to crease the base papers.
  12. 12. Reinforcing A cloth or thick paper is pasted over the part where the fan handle will be inserted so the structure is reinforced.
  13. 13. Shaping The paper is cut into the required shape of the fan.
  14. 14. Finishing touches After cutting the shape, thin paper is pasted on the circumference, the handle is attached to the reinforced part, and the fan is complete.

Representative Manufacturers

Aiba atelier

Aiba atelier

The traditional Japanese summer must-have: A delicate fan made of thin bamboo ribs

More information

Facility Information

Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design

Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design

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