Types of ôgi (folding fans), handy reference chart by Edo-era lover Nadeshico Rin. Please note this overview doesn’t cover all Japanese fan variations, for example also see maiôgi (舞扇 dance fan), tsunenoôgi (常の扇 common fan), shizume (鎮扇 noh fan), rokkoku (六骨 Kamakura fan), gunsen (軍扇 war fan), etc etc.
Fans were first imported to Japan from China, and were used from the start as symbols of status and refinement. Chinese fans were originaly rigid ones (see modern uchiwa), and according to Rin, foldable ones appeared in Japan during Heian period free from Chinese influences.
In the past, word ôgi 扇 meant “sliding door” (today 戸板 toita), and overtime lost its original meaning to only designate folding fans.
From right to left, you can see on first picture the oldest known Japanese folding fans:
Hiôgi (檜扇 - ひおうぎ) - hinoki cypress fan, used by Heian nobles. Some theorise those were first made from shaku 笏 (a type of ritual wooden baton used in Shinto) hold together by threads. Hiôgi were symbol of power and formal ones were heavily decorated with painted sceneries and dangling colorful ribbons.
Kawahori (蝙蝠 - かわほり) - lit. «bat» fan, appeared around mid. Heian period. Those were simplified hiôgi meant to be used in Summer. The lighter frame had paper pasted on one side, somehow giving the aspect of a bat wing when seen from reverse.
From there, kawahori fans morphed during Muromachi period:
Ukeori (浮折 - うけおり) or «floating» types which had unmovable handles and looser top parts. Some examples are:
- Suehiro (末広 - すえひろ) - spread out fan, with curving ribs
- Chûkei (中啓 - ちゅうけい) - ceremonial fan, used by nobles, samurai and monks
- Bonbori (ぼんぼり) - the little brother of the chûkei which appeared during Edo period (bonbori are paper covered lanterns I don’t know if those and this fan are linked).
Shizumeori (沈折 - しずめおり) or folding types, where whole structure can be collapsed, looking quite sleek and refined. Most known fan of this type is:
- Sensu (扇子- せんす) - folding fan, which is the most spread nowadays. During Muromachi period, paper began to be put on both sides, hiding the ribs. Interestingly, Imperial court still favors one side paper only even today as a nod to the original design.
During Edo period, folding fans use spread among the whole population and their ribs started to get more and more decorated with sukashi (透かし openwork). Some popular designs included:
Hanabishi (花菱 - はなびし) - flowery diamond-shaped cut-out
Nekomasukashi (猫間透し - ねこますかし) - «cat door» cut-out (sometimes also called nekome/猫目/cateye)
Kamatarisukashi (鎌足透し - かまたりすかし) - «heels apart» cut-out
Oosukashi (大透し - おおすかし) - big cut-out
Rokkotsusukashi (六骨透し - ろつこつすかし) - «six points» cut-out
Chôjisukashi (丁子透し - ちょうじすかし) - «clove» cut-out
Nagachôjisukashi (長丁子透し - ながちょうじすかし) -«long clove» cut-out
