The Samurai War Fan
The Samurai or Japanese war fan was specifically designed for warfare during the feudal era of Japan. The art of fighting with war fans is called tessenjutsu. There were several types of war fans used by the samurai class, each having a distinct look and function.
Japanese war fans varied in materials, shape, and use. One important function of a war fan was signaling. Signalling war fans came in two types. One type was made like a real fan using wood or metal for ribs with lacquered paper attached to the ribs with a metal outer cover. The second type was a solid open fan made from metal and/or wood, similar to the gunbai fans used by sumo referees today.
Tessen
Tessen – folding fans whose outer spokes were heavy plates of iron or solid clubs shaped to look like a closed fan. These types of fans were made to look like ordinary fans and were used by samurai as weapons in places where swords and other weapons were not allowed. Tessen fans were also used for fending off darts and knives.
Gunpai – large, solid, open fans made from solid iron, metal with a wooden core, or solid wood. These types of fans were used by high-ranking officers. They were used to block arrows, to signal troops, and as a sunshade.
Gunsen – folding fans used by average Japanese warriors to cool themselves off. Inner spokes were made of wood, brass, bronze, or a similar metal. The outer spokes were usually made of iron or other metals to make the fan lightweight yet strong. Warriors carried their fans from their breastplates or belts.
One popular story in history of a Japanese war fan was the encounter between Takeda Shingen (a pre-emi daimyo of the feudal Japan era during the Sengoku period) and Uesugi Kenshin (a daimyo who ruled the Echigo province). As the story goes, during the fourth battle of Kawanakajima, Kenshin, on horseback, had broken through Shingen’s entire army and entered his command tent. Shingen deflected Kenshin’s sword with his war fan, an ironic act considering the obstacles Kenshin had to go through to get to Shingen’s command tent, only to be thwarted by a fan.
Another story was of Sanada Yukimura, made popular recently in the NHK Taiga drama “Sanada Maru.” During the Seige of Osaka, Yukimura was so impressed by a 14-year-old opponent that he gifted the teenager with his very own war fan. The young samurai was Matsudaira Naomasam, the grandchild of the future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. He later became the lord of the Matsue Castle. The war fan given to Matsudaira Naomasam is still on display today.