Traditional Japanese Fan from Kyoto by WDH

Elegant and cool, traditional craft in Kyoto “Kyo-Sensu”

“Kyo-Sensu” means Japanese fan made in Kyoto. “Kyo” is Kyoto and “Sensu” means folding fan.
Traditional Japanese fan by WDH is a high-class hand fan that makes people look more beautiful.
Your hand looks elegant and your style looks gorgeous. The feeling of opening fan is comfortable.
Just a small fanning makes cool breeze. Elegant traditional Japanese fan would be indispensable item for summer.

Kyoto is still the center of elegant culture.
Kyoto has long history in Japan. Various skills of craftsmen have been handed down there, such as Kyo Yuzen, Kyo lacquerware, Kyo doll, or Kiyomizu ware.
Among various traditional crafts, traditional Japanese fan “Kyo-Sensu” get great popularity. People have loved high-class Japanese fan made in Kyoto for more than 1200 years.

Folding fan by WDH is 7 sun (about 21cm, 8.3 inches). Auspicious hand fan would be great wedding gifts or housewarming gifts. How about sending traditional Japanese fans for a couple?

Stylish and modern! Masterpiece of Kyo-Sensu

Traditional Japanese fan by WDH has atmosphere of ancient city.
However, it has modern mood as well. It is a Japanese modern folding fan.
A graceful Japanese fan can make your usual fashion cooler. For dress or kimono, high-class Japanese fan provides elegance for you.

WDH offers 3 colors of traditional Japanese fan, Red, Green and Black. All colors are chic so that you can use Japanese fan from spring to fall. For your relaxing time at home, elegant hand fan gives luxury. Folding fan is easy to bring. Enjoy going out with graceful Japanese fan.
In addition to giving you cool, stylish traditional Japanese fan can be an accent for your fashion.

88 processes! Traditional Japanese fan produced by craftsmen

“Kyo-Sensu” is a high-class folding fan which is made of Japanese materials centering on Kyoto and all the processes are done in Japan centering on Kyoto or Shiga. It is designated as a traditional craft.
88 processes are needed to make a Kyo-Sensu! Making sticks, paper, painting and assembling. Each procedure is done by each skilled craftsman.

Japanese fan in Kyoto began in early Heian era (794 ~ 1185.) At first, people used “Mokkan” which is linked thin wooden boards. Then people started to produce “Hi-Ougi” which is bound thin cypress boards. After that, paper folding fan “Kami-Ougi” were started to produce with paper and bamboo.

Most of Japanese traditional crafts were introduced from China. However, traditional Japanese fan of Kyoto was born in Japan and developed by Japanese nobles. In Kyo-Sensu, there are a lot of types “Cha-Ougi (fan for tea ceremony)”, “Mai-Ougi (fan for traditional Japanese dance)”, “Nogaku-Ougi (fan for Nogaku)”, “Ita-Ougi (fan made of wooden boards)”, or “Kazari-Ougi (fan for display)”.

45 sticks in total! Selected natural material for sticks

Sticks for traditional Japanese fan by WDH are 45.
43 sticks and 2 guards. It is called “45 ken 7 sun*1”.
One of characteristics of Kyo-Sensu is its numerous sticks. Since they have more sticks than usual Japanese fans, Kyo-Sensu supple well and a little fanning makes soft breeze.
*1… 7 sun = about 21cm, 8.3 inches

This traditional Japanese fan open lightly. Its smooth move has elegant atmosphere as high-class Japanese fan of Kyoto.
When you open the folding fan, you can see beautiful line of sticks. Its beautiful curve attracts us. We would like you to feel the fit of sticks to your hands. This hand fan fits our hands well. The more you use fan, the more you love it.

For Kyo-Sensu from WDH, well-selected good bamboos are used. Each stick has slightly different colors. As you use, the bamboo gets more color and gloss. Please enjoy changing taste over the years.

Glossy cover by Japanese paper dyed with persimmon tannin

For cover of the traditional Japanese fan, stylish Japanese paper is used.
This Japanese paper is dyed with persimmon tannin.
Dye with persimmon tannin (“Kaki Shibu Zome” in Japanese) have been used for a long time. By spreading persimmon tannin many times, paper get strength. The persimmon tannin dye provides beautiful gloss to the folding fan by WDH. Kaki Shibu Zome have effects of waterproof and antisepsis in addition to reinforcement.

Carefully produced Japanese paper is beautiful and strong. If you would like to use beautiful Japanese fan for a long time, we recommend hand fan from WDH.

Cute accent! Pure silk Kyo braided cords

In fact, there is anther traditional craft of Kyoto in traditional Japanese fan from WDH. It is “Kyo Kumihimo (braided cords)” on rivet. Kyo Kumihimo made of pure silk has elegant sheen.

This Kyo braided cords are just made for this Kyo-Sensu. Long tassel swings elegantly on your hand. Color combination with cover is cool.

Kyo braided cords are decoration used for Buddhist altar fittings, Shinto altar fittings, or cord for attaching sword since Heian era. When tea ceremony began to spread, Kyo Kumihimo was used for Shihuku (a porch for tea utensils) or Takuboku (a rope to hang kakejiku) of Kakejiku (hanging scroll displayed in tea room). In Edo era (1600 ~ 1867), Haori himo (code for coat of kimono) or Kumi Obi were produced with Kyo braided cords. Various stylish combinations were born.
Kyo Kumihimo is still indispensable for kimono like Obishime (cord to tie Obi tightly).

Traditional Japanese fan is still beautiful when it is close

Beauty of Japanese fan from WDH is not only when it is opened.
We can see the superb technique of Japanese craftsmen when we close folding fan. Most remarkable point is beauty of sticks. 43 sticks form in line neatly and fit smartly aiming to the top. Its smart form provides graceful atmosphere.
The top of the cover is colored with gold. When you close hand fan and see the top of fan, gold color shines elegantly.

Exclusive fan porch for the traditional Japanese fan

The Japanese fan from WDH is set with stylish fan porch. It is made of natural cotton. Elegant porch works when you bring or store the folding fan. This fan porch has slit so that tassel of traditional Japanese fan comes out naturally.

Simple fan porch is easy to use in bag or porch. When you bring the hand fan, please bring this fan porch together.

Beautiful and tough. Now is the time to use Japanese fan

High-quality Japanese fan made in Kyoto have been used by dancers of traditional Japanese dance. For dancers, using stylish hand fan of Kyoto is one of the status. Kyo-Sensu have been loved by those who inherits Japanese culture for a long time.

It takes much time and work to make Kyo-Sensu.
Now, “authentic Japanese fan” decrease among various stylish fans. However, we should not forget the high quality of Japanese fan.
Traditional Japanese fan is a little expensive. However, we believe it is reasonable considering the pursuit for materials and accumulation of handwork by skilled craftsmen. You can feel Japanese craftsmanship in the Japanese fan by WDH.

Won’t you make your wish come true that “use high-quality Japanese fan”?

Auspicious Japanese fan would be great gifts

In Japan, use of folding fan is not only for summer.
Japanese fan takes important role at critical junctures of life such as Omiya Mairi (take baby to shrine to pray for blessing), Shichi Go San (celebrate and wish health of children when they are 3, 5, or 7 years old), exchange betrothal gifts, wedding ceremony, one’s sixtieth birthday, or seventieth birthday.
Japanese fan is symbol of “increasing prosperity”. It is an auspicious item.

Traditional Japanese fan from WDH is suitable gift for celebrating.
We recommend folding fan as wedding gifts, housewarming gifts, birthday gifts, or the gifts on the Mother’s Day or the Father’s Day. Red folding fan would be best gift to celebrate one’s sixtieth birthday (since red is symbolic color of sixtieth birthday in Japan). Also, auspicious hand fan is great retirement gift to celebrate one’s new start of new life.
Sending traditional Japanese fan has message to wish “the future opens broadly for you.”

Simple and modern Japanese fan makes the life of your important person richer. Folding fan from WDH is unisex size. If you look for high-quality fan for men, this hand fan is the one.

Send gifts to people in other countries? Leave it to Japan Design Store

Stylish and traditional Japanese fan is recommended gifts for overseas people. Beautiful folding fan made in Kyoto have been popular for foreigners, too. Japan Design Store ships all around the world.

For your host family, business partners, or guests from other countries, high-quality Japanese fan is suitable. Japanese fan from WDH has English introduction in leaflet. (*Please note that it is not instruction manual of product.)

Gift wrapping of Japan Design Store for important present

How about sending traditional Japanese fan with gift wrapping of Japan Design Store?
Japan Design Store always wait for you with stylish gift wrapping. You can choose Japanese traditional Noshi wrapping (which has kanji on paper!) as well. Please select suitable gift wrapping for your gifts.
If your friends or family live far away, you can easily send gifts through an online shop. Our gift staff carefully wrap and pack it.