September 15, 2016

EDO - Mingei - Edo uchiwa 江戸団扇

http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.jp/2005/06/fan-oogi-and-uchiwa.html

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. Edo shokunin 江戸職人 craftsmen of Edo .

uchiwashi, uchiwa shi 団扇師 making handfans
Handfans were used all year to start and keep the kitchen fire in Edo. These fans were especially strong and the paper was coated with kakishibu 柿渋 persimmon extract to make them some kind of water-proof.
They were also useful to hit flies and mosquitos.

Since the late Edo period women used to carry a handfan all the time, especially as a fashion item when going out.

江戸前の風は団扇で追い出され
Edo-mae no kaze wa uchiwa de oidasare

wind from the Edo Bay
is driven away
by all the the hand fans

- Senryu of Edo -


Edo uchiwa 江戸団扇

- quote
Edo Uchiwa is a type of uchiwa, a traditional Japanese fan.
Uchiwa is often used by a person to create a breeze to keep cool in hot weather. They are part of Japanese seasonal traditions and are often given as gifts at these times. Originally, a big leaf and an animal hair were used as an uchiwa, to purify and pray. Over time they have changed, and are now made from one piece of bamboo and paper.



It is said that uchiawa originally came from China. During the Edo period in Japan, there were uchiwa's that was called Edo Uchiwa which used the Ukiyo-e technique with printing such as kabuki actors, landscapes, and portrait of beautiful women. Nowadays, in summer, you will see uchiwa everywhere in the street, which have not a printing of Ukiyo-e, but an advertisement of companies or products.
- source : tokyopic.com/image



CLICK for more photos !

There are many Uchiwa with illustrations of 浮世絵 ukiyo-e
and also Ukiyo-e with people using an Uchiwa in the Edo period. They show many aspects of the daily life in Edo and will be a source of further study.

. Join the Edo friends on facebook ! .



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oogi uri, oogi-uri 扇売り vendor of fans

In the town of Edo he walked around before the New Year and sold cheap fans with auspicious symbols for the New Year (mount Fuji, a hawk, eggplants or the 7 Gods of good luck) in small wooden boxes. They were used as "obligatory presents" to teachers, doctors and other important people (it is said to be the fore-runner of the famous "o-toshidama" money presents of our day).
The recipient of these boxes would pile them up at the gate to his home to show how much he was honored. (Some say they even bought them for themselves to show off.)
Anyway, after the New Year there was no more use for these boxes, so the vendors came back and called for collecting them

o-harai oogibako お払い扇箱 "Buying back fan boxes"

and payed a small sum. They kept the boxes till next year to start another round of business.

A senryu from Edo

 売るうちにもう買いに来る扇箱
uru uchi ni moo kai ni kuru oogibako

while selling them
they already buy them back -
the fan boxes


o haraibako ni suru お払い箱にする - dismiss, fire, sack
o haraibako ni sareta お払い箱にされた -
be get fired, to be dismissed, be sacked


. Doing Business in Edo - 江戸の商売 .

- - - Not to mix with
. O-haraibako 御祓箱 box to transport talismans .

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CLICK for enlargement !

The Fan Shop Mieidô 「美影堂」 
「すゑひろ」 扇屋美影堂店先
by Utagawa Toyokuni I
The real name of the fan shop, 美影堂 Mieidô, is partly visible on the signboard in the shape of a giant fan overhead. As a joke, the name and trademark of the publisher, Eijudô, are substituted for the shop name elsewhere in the picture.

- source :mfa.org/collections - boston -

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