JAPANESE FOLDING FAN (PINK) by OHNISHI TSUNE SHOTEN

OHNISHI TSUNE SHOTEN, is one of many Kyoto “Treasures” Pagong would like to feature who share in our same dedication to preserving Kyoto’s traditional culture.

Located in an old machiya (townhouse) built about 150 years ago, on Matsubara Street (downtown Kyoto), the shop’s speciality is Kyo-Sensu (folding fans), a design of fan which originated in Japan around the 9th century.

Earliest fans were made of cypress wood strips, which later evolved into varieties with hand-made paper mounted on bamboo ribs.

Folding fans appear in scenes of the TALES OF GENJI and other works of literature. Exported to China during the 12th-14th century, folding fans were eventually introduced to other parts of the world, reaching Europe during the 17th-19th century.

Rie Ohnishi, working as a fourth generation owner-to-be since 2016, is always dressed in kimono. Ms Ohnishi says she gave away all her western-style clothes, so now she only wears kimono at all times.

“I collect the fan parts from one artisan in charge of one process, inspect them, and then take them to another artisan in charge of the next process. Then finally, deliver the finished products to our clients.”

Her family’s Kyo-sensu production and wholesale business employs about 15 artisans.

Each artisan shares the eighty or so different stages of production involved in making a single fan.

The soft, elegant scent coming from Kyo-sensu as they are opened is heavenly, making the heat of summer a much more pleasant experience.

The fans are also visually cooling due to the designs commonly selected for their paintings.

“TOSENKYO” is a fan-tossing game which originated in Kyoto during the Edo-era. The object of the game is to try to hit the target or “Cho”, and, have the fan which is being tossed land on the box that the target is resting on for the highest amount of points. Depending on how and where the fan lands, determines the number of points one will receive.