A tessen (iron fan), on display in Iwakuni Castle, Japan

A number of war fans were used in Japanese feudal warfare, of varying size and material, for different purposes. One of the most significant, and perhaps most interesting, uses was as a signalling device. Signalling fans came in three varieties: a tasseled pom-pom, a solid iron fan, or a wood and paper one, very similar to the fans used today by sumo referees. The commander would raise or lower his fan and point in different ways to issue commands to the soldiers, which would then be passed on by other forms of visible and audible signalling. The art of fighting with war fans is tessenjutsu. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 496 KB) A tessen (iron fan), on display in Iwakuni Castle, Japan photographer = uploader File links The following pages link to this file: Japanese war fan ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 496 KB) A tessen (iron fan), on display in Iwakuni Castle, Japan photographer = uploader File links The following pages link to this file: Japanese war fan ... History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei Pre-History/The Origin of History Jomon Period Main... A Sumo match (Ozeki Kaio vs. ... A variety of methods were used to communicate across the battlefield in feudal Japan, much like in any other culture. ... WARNING - This martial art appears to be fictitious. ...

Types of war fan

• Dansen uchiwa (断線団扇, Dansen uchiwa^?) were large iron fans, sometimes built on a wooden core, which were carried by high-ranking officers. They were used to ward off arrows, as a sunshade, and to signal to troops.

• Gunsen (軍扇, Gunsen^?) were folding fans used by the average warriors to cool themselves off. They were made of bronze, brass or a similar metal for the inner spokes, and often used iron for the outer spokes, making them lightweight but strong. Warriors would hang their fans from a variety of places, most typically from the belt or the breastplate, though the latter often impeded the use of sword and bow.

• Saihai (采配, Saihai^?) were tasseled signalling fans which would be used by a commander to signal troop movements.

• Tessen (鉄扇, Tessen^?) were folding fans with outer spokes made of iron which were designed to look like regular, harmless folding fans or solid clubs shaped to look like a closed fan. Samurai could take these to places where swords or other overt weapons were not allowed, and some swordsmanship schools included training in the use of the tessen as a weapon. The tessen was also used for fending off arrows and darts, as a throwing weapon, and as an aid in swimming, like hand-flippers.

War fans in history and folklore

One particularly famous legend involving war fans concerns a direct confrontation between Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin at the fourth battle of Kawanakajima in 1561. Kenshin burst into Shingen's command tent on horseback, having broken through his entire army, and attacked, his sword was deflected by Shingen's war fan. It is not clear whether Shingen parried with a tessen, a dansen uchiwa, or some other form of fan. Nevertheless, it was quite rare for commanders to fight directly, and especially for a general to defend himself so effectively when taken so off-guard. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Uesugi Kenshin February 18, 1530—April 19, 1578) was a warlord who ruled Echigo province in the Sengoku Period of Japan. ... Combatants forces of Takeda Shingen forces of Uesugi Kenshin Commanders Takeda Shingen, Yamamoto Kansuke, Kōsaka Masanobu, others Uesugi Kenshin, Kakizaki Kageie, others Strength 20,000 13,000 Casualties 18,800(88%) 9,360(72%) The battles of Kawanakajima ) were fought in the Sengoku Period of Japan between Takeda Shingen... // Events The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots. ...

Minamoto no Yoshitsune is said to have defeated the great warrior monk Benkei with a tessen. Yoshitsune by Kikuchi Yosai Yoshitsune and Benkei Viewing Cherry Blossoms, by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Minamoto no Yoshitsune () (1159 – June 15, 1189) was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. ... Benkei as portrayed in Kabuki plays. ...

Araki Murashige is said to have used a tessen to save his life when the great warlord Oda Nobunaga sought to assassinate him. Araki was invited before Nobunaga, and was stripped of his swords at the entrance to the mansion, as was customary. When he performed the customary bowing at the threshold, Nobunaga intended to have the room's sliding doors slammed shut onto Araki's neck, killing him. However, Araki supposedly placed his tessen in the grooves in the floor, blocking the doors from closing. Araki Murashige ) was a retainer of Oda Nobunaga, and daimyō (feudal lord) of Itami castle in what is now Itami city in Japans Hyogo Prefecture. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Yagyū clan, sword instructors to the Tokugawa shoguns, included tessenjutsu in their swordschool, the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. The YagyÅ« ) were a minor family of daimyō (feudal lords) with lands just outside Nara, who became the heads of one of Japans greatest schools of swordsmanship, YagyÅ« Shinkage-ryÅ«. The YagyÅ« were also swordsmanship teachers to the Tokugawa shoguns. ... The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

War fans in popular culture

War fans are frequently featured in Japanese popular culture, especially anime and manga. Often they are used when one character hits another in frustration, most famously Genjo Sanzo in Saiyuki and Kaname Chidori in Full Metal Panic!. The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Manga )   is the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons. ... Genjo Sanzo Genjō-Sanzō, or Genjyō-Sanzō (玄奘三蔵法師 Genjō-Sanzō-hōshi, Pinyin: Xuánzàng-Sānzàng-fÇŽshÄ«) is one of the four main characters in the manga and anime series SaiyÅ«ki (Known as Gensōmaden SaiyÅ«ki in Japan). ... SaiyÅ«ki, also known as Gensōmaden SaiyÅ«ki (幻想魔伝 最遊記) in Japan, a popular manga series created by Kazuya Minekura loosely based on the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West (XÄ«yóu Jì). Though adapted into an anime by Studio Pierrot, the storyline is not yet complete. ... Kaname Chidori. ... Full Metal Panic! , often abbreviated to FMP!) is a science fiction light novel series written by Shouji Gatou. ...

Additionally, many fictional characters use them as weapons in battle: Yumi Ishiyama in the French animated series Code Lyoko uses war fans as her weapons, as do Mai Shiranui of Fatal Fury, King of Fighters, Anji Mito of Guilty Gear X, and Kitana of Mortal Kombat, and Temari from Naruto fights with a giant metal fan. Even Kagura from the anime Inuyasha wields a fan to use her powers. Tasuki from Fushigi Yūgi is also known for wielding a flaming war fan. The Kyoshi Island Warriors from Avatar: The Last Airbender use metal fans as their primary weapon and even utilize retractable fans as wrist shields. Hakuoro, the masked protagonist of Utawarerumono, fights with a metal fan in all his battles. The psychopathic character Kazuo Kiriyama is given a harisen in the movie Battle Royale. In Negima, Negi's main partner Asuna is initially equipped with a harisen when her contract is activated rather than the large sword on her Pactio card. Also, in Super Mario RPG, one of Princess Toadstool's weapons is a War Fan. Yumi at Kadic. ... Code Lyoko is a French animated television series featuring both conventional animation and CGI animation. ... Mai Shiranui ) is a character from both the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK (now SNK Playmore). ... Fatal Fury , lit. ... The King of Fighters ), or KOF for short, is a fighting game series by SNK that debuted in 1994. ... Anji Mito is a character in the Guilty Gear fighting game series, making his first appearance in the second game, Guilty Gear X: By Your Side. ... Guilty Gear is a series of sprite-based video fighting games designed by artist Daisuke Ishiwatari and Arc System Works and is produced by Sammy Studios. ... Kitana (or Princess Kitana by title) is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. ... Mortal Kombat has multiple meanings. ... Temari ) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto. ... Naruto ) is a manga by Masashi Kishimoto with an anime TV series adaptation about a loud, hyperactive adolescent ninja, Uzumaki Naruto, who constantly searches for approval and recognition. ... Kagura is the Japanese word for sacred Shinto dances. ... Serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday Original run 1996 – 2007? No. ... Tasuki (翼宿) is a character from the manga and anime series Fushigi YÅ«gi. ... Fushigi YÅ«gi (ふしぎ遊戯; literally Mystery Game but usually rendered Mysterious Play) is a Japanese manga (later an anime) created by Yuu Watase and serialized in the manga magazine Shōjo Comic. ... Earth Kingdom Avatar Temple. ... Utawarerumono (うたわれるもの）is a Japanese adult AVG+SLG(S-RPG) by Leaf which was released on 26 April 2002. ... Masanobu Ando as Kazuo Kiriyama in the film Battle Royale. ... For related entries, see Battle Royale (disambiguation). ... Negima: Magister Negi Magi ) is a manga and anime series by Ken Akamatsu, known for his best selling title, Love Hina, which contains a large amount of Fan service/ecchi scenes. ... Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (スーパーマリオRPG) was the last Mario game made and released for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was the last Square-produced game for a Nintendo video game console until 2003, with the debut of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for the...

War fans have also been named as shukusen in some popular culture. An example of this is in Tamora Pierce's Quartet: Protector of the Small. In this set of books, Yamani women wield deadly metal fans which they use for decoration, complex fan dances and self-defense. It is interesting to note that Yamani culture is partly based on historical Japanese culture. Tamora Pierce (born December 13, 1954) is a fantasy author who writes books for young adults. ... The Protector of the Small quartet is a series of books written by Tamora Pierce that tells the story of Keladry of Mindelan, a heroine in the fantasy land Tortall. ...

Harisen

The harisen (literally meaning "paper fan" in Japanese) is a giant paper fan. Usually made in a closed fashion, it is used in Japanese comedy shows as a form of physical comedy. This is what is usually seen in anime when a character smacks another on the head with a paper fan. Physical comedy is comedic performance relying mostly on the use of the body to convey humor. ...

War Fan of Asia

Fans are also used for offensive and defensive purposes in the Chinese and Korean martial arts. They are called "铁扇" (tiě shān) in Chinese, and "Buchae" in Korean. Korean martial arts, referred to in Korean as Musul (무술 hanja: 武術) or Muye (무예 hanja:武藝), are the various martial arts that originated or were modified in Korea. ...

Reference

• Ratti, Oscar and Adele Westbrook (1973). Secrets of the Samurai. Edison, NJ: Castle Books.