Fan↕ | Origin↕ | Material↕ | Era↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sensu | Japan | Bamboo ribs, washi paper | Heian period, 9th c. | Folding fan invented in Japan, used in tea ceremony, noh theater, and samurai signaling |
Uchiwa | Japan | Bamboo frame, paper | Asuka period | Rigid oval fan used in summer festivals and sumo wrestling referees |
Abanico | Spain | Wood, ivory, silk, lace | 16th century | Spanish folding fan central to flamenco and a secret courtship language among ladies |
Bu-chae | Korea | Bamboo, hanji paper | Goryeo period | Korean folding fan used in royal court dances and traditional buchaechum fan dance |
Tuan shan | China | Silk, bamboo, lacquer | Han Dynasty | Round Chinese court fan painted with landscapes or calligraphy, a scholar's accessory |
Pai-pai | China, Taiwan | Palm leaf | Ancient | Woven palm leaf fan of rural China and Taiwan, everyday cooling tool |
Pankha | India | Palm leaf, peacock feathers | Vedic era | Hand-pulled ceiling fan and feather fan used in Mughal courts and Hindu temples |
Tessen | Japan | Iron ribs | Edo period | Iron war fan carried by samurai as both signal device and concealed weapon |
Flabellum | Byzantium, Catholic Church | Feathers, metal, silk | Early Christian | Liturgical fan waved over the Eucharist in Byzantine and early Western Christian rites |
Hausa leather fan | Nigeria, Niger | Tooled leather | Sahelian kingdoms | Ornate tooled leather fan carried by Hausa emirs and dignitaries as a status symbol |
Mwele | East Africa | Woven palm fiber | Ancient | Swahili coast woven fan used for cooling and winnowing in coastal villages |
Cockade fan | Victorian Europe | Silk, feathers, tortoise shell | 19th century | Round fan that opens into a full circle, popular among Victorian ladies at balls |
Mai-ogi | Japan | Lacquered bamboo, gold leaf | Edo period | Weighted dancing fan used in Japanese nihon-buyo classical dance |
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