Traditional Japanese Fan from Kyoto by WDH

Elegant traditional Japanese fan from WDH

Elegant and Modern Graceful Traditional Japanese Fan from WDH

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[WDH]京扇子

  • Our original set
  • Exclusive gift box
  • With Japanese description
  • With English description

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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.

A woman has red Japanese fan

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?

Red and Black folding fans from WDH

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.

Green, Red and Black traditional Japanese fan and their fan porches

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.

A woman is fanning Japanese fan

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)”.

What is the difference between Kyo-Sensu and Edo Sensu?

  • Kyo-Sensu and Edo-Sensu are both famous fans as traditional crafts. We can see difference in producing method.
    “Edo-Sensu” is a traditional Japanese fan inherited in Tokyo. A craftsman bears 30 processes except for painting or producing sticks.
    On the contrary, Kyo-Sensu is produced by division of labor. Each process is done by specialized craftsmen.
    Also, number of sticks are different between Kyo-Sensu and Edo-Sensu. Edo-Sensu has less sticks than Kyo-Sensu, about 15. So, it looks smart and cool.
    Kyo-Sensu has many sticks. Therefore, the folding fan opens smoothly and looks elegant.

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

Bamboo sticks of hand fan from WDH

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.

Beautiful line of sticks of Japanese fan

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.

Look at colors of sticks!

  • For Black Japanese fan, guards are dyed in black, sticks are dyed in dark Karaki (the color like rare wood). For Red and Green Japanese fan, guards are dyed in dark Karaki, and sticks are dyed in light Karaki. You can enjoy contrast of colors. Please select your favorite color combination.

    Closed Black, Green and Red folding fan

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.

Japanese paper on traditional Japanese fan from WDH

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.

Tassels on Japanese fan made in Kyoto

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.

Closed red Japanese fan from WDH

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.

Traditional Japanese fans in exclusive fan porches

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.

Green, Red, and Black folding fans and exclusive fan porches

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”?

A woman is fanning hand fan from WDH

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.”

Kyo-Sensu within exclusive paulownia box

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.

Tassel is also an auspicious item

  • Tassel made of Kyo Kumihimo is attached to traditional Japanese fan from WDH. In fact, tassel is also an auspicious item. As you can see, tassel is the form of broom. Therefore, it is said that tassel “drive out evils.” Folding fan with tassel will save your important person.

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.)

English introduction of Kyo-Sensu

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.

Cautions

  • * Please do not use Japanese fan for different use than original use of product.
  • * Please do not store folding fan with opening it. The fan gets the habit of opening and become hard to close.
  • * Please do not close or fan the hand fan with vigor. Japanese paper may be torn, or sticks get damage and cause breakage.
  • * Please be careful of not touching water or sweat to Japanese fan. It may cause color loss, breakage, warp, or adherence to clothes.
  • * Please avoid using traditional Japanese fan outside when it is rain or gale.

How to care

  • * Wipe of dust or dirt with soft brush or cloth.
  • * After use, close fan, set attached band, and store in paulownia box.
  • * Store fan in place where does not get direct sunlight and humidity.

Personalize gift service

For the bulk order more than 20 items, we can personalize your items with the name of your company, school, or with logomarks. If you plan to order corporate gifts or keepsake gifts, please contact us from “Contact us.”
* Personalize gift needs service fee. The fee depends on items.
* Personalize service is not available for some products. Please feel free to ask us.

工房:
WDH