Folding Fans : Their Origins and Development

This is an account of the history of folding fans. There are two types of hand fan. One is the fixed or flat kind, which one cannot fold or unfold.

It is called uchiwa in Japanese. The other is the folding type, which can be folded or unfolded.

Since the flat fan has a simple structure, it originated much earlier than its folding counterpart.

While the flat fan came into being as a symbol of novelty, the folding type developed as a writing instrument or recording device for practical purposes.

The book is written from a historian's perspective, citing considerable archaeological evidence.

For instance, it identifies the hidden folding fan in the body of one of the oldest Buddhist statues at a Japanese temple.

It also deciphers the real meaning of ogi, the Japanese word for folding fan.

In addition, it describes how folding fans became common and popular items among merchants and city dwellers as well as indispensable possessions for Samurai soldiers.

The book concludes by outlining how folding fans are exported to Europe and America.