The fan appeared in Japan over a thousand years ago and over time has become an integral part of the Japanese national costume, Japanese ceremonies and traditions. Japan was a closed country for many hundreds of years, and only at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries did it truly become open to the rest of the world. This period is called the Meiji era (1868-1912). A long period of self-isolation led to the emergence of a unique Japanese culture, the interest in which from Europeans and Americans was unusual. Japanese artisans and entrepreneurs have responded to this demand by producing Japanese goods and crafts tailored to the tastes of Western buyers.
Meiji period Japanese fan made of ivory and silk by Osawa Nanho. Japanese fans from the Meiji period.The lower end of the fan was decorated with a silk brush on which a bead was hung ojime.
Meiji period Japanese fan made of ivory and silk by Osawa Nanho. The fan consists of a double sheet of paper covered with silk cloth, each side of which is painted with ink, on one side is a landscape with Mount Fuji in the background, the reverse depicts various types of birds, including a kingfisher, a hawk and sandpipers among flowers.
The protective strips of the folding fan (guard) were made more massive than the inner plates of the fan skeleton, decorated with carvings, engravings and elegant inlays. Traditional gilding techniques used in Japanese lacquerware were often used in decor. The outer linings were decorated with inlays in the style of shibayama (shibayama) made of mother-of-pearl and semi-precious stones.
Large Japanese fan of the Meiji period finely carved ivory. Masters Shoseishi Kanbi Hiroyoshi and Kogyoku.Meiji period Japanese fan made of ivory and silk painted with figures walking on the river bank in front of Mount Fuji and a bird on a flowering branch.
The lower end of the fan was decorated with a silk brush, on which a bead was hung – ojime. Ojime, carved or inlaid with gold in the style of the main decor of the fan, is a miniature example of the skill of Japanese artisans, and is also a collector’s item in our time.
Japanese Meiji period fan made of wood and silk painted with the image of peasants gathering firewood. Ivory guards are decorated with gilded floral ornaments. Japanese fans from the Meiji period.Japanese ivory fan depicting quails among chrysanthemum bushes inlaid with gold and mother of pearl late 19th century.Fan in ivory and embroidered silk depicting a pheasant and other birds among the branches of a plum blossom.Japanese fan made of ivory inlaid with gold depicting seven gods of happiness against the backdrop of mountains each of them has its own attribute late 19th century. Japanese fans from the Meiji period. Meiji period Japanese ivory fan with cranes among bamboo shoots and chrysanthemums inlaid with gold and mother of pearl.Meiji period Japanese ivory fan with peacocks among trees and flowering plants inlaid with gold and mother of pearl.Japanese ivory fan depicting a story from the Kanbun poem.Reverse Three wise men meet on a bridge.Japanese ivory fan of the Meiji period with the image of monkeys made by Gesshu.Japanese ivory fan with birds on branches decorated with gilding circa 1880.Ivory fan depicting a mandarin duck under a plum tree inlaid with gold mother of pearl and coral late 19th century..Japanese ivory fan depicting an autumn scene with geese in flight and on the river bank inlaid with gold mother of pearl and coral late 19th century.Meiji period Japanese ivory fan with cranes inlaid with gold mother of pearl tortoiseshell and semi precious stones.Large ivory Japanese fan inlaid with gold from the Meiji period.The second side is decorated with the image of paulownia flowers and Chinese bells.Japanese Meiji period fan made of ivory inlaid with gold lacquer depicting a procession of crickets parodying the custom of daimyo gyoretsu.The second side of the fan is decorated with the image of flying cranes.Ivory Japanese fan of the Meiji period with the image of thatched huts by the stream inlaid with gold lacquer master Kobayashi Yukiomi.Japanese ivory Meiji fan with a humorous depiction of a family of monkeys in front of a Chinese vase of magnolia flowers studying a scroll of monkeys inlaid with gold lacquer master Shinsei.The reverse depicts a lone butterfly hovering over a creeping kudzu vine.
