Fans

Since long ago, fans have been used not only to keep cool, but also as accessories, room decorations and even as tools in the various entertainment arts. Because of their compact size and elegant styling, which allows them to be folded one-handed, fans have proved to be popular gifts. A fan or shape of a fan also functions as a small canvas, allowing for delicate images of nature scenes or festivals in ink, light colors or gold leaf to be added. Often, inscriptions by priests or waka poems are written on the surface. This exhibit features both real fans, which were attached to screens or put in albums, and also fan-shaped canvases.