Vintage Japanese Shibu Uchiwa Fans with Hand-Painted Lucky Mallets

A large, well-worn Japanese shibu uchiwa fan, made with a bamboo handle and paper coated in kakishibu, a traditional fermented persimmon tannin.

Unlike a lightweight summer fan made primarily for personal cooling, this sturdy uchiwa appears to have been made for a more practical household task. Its generous size and strong construction would have made it useful for directing air into a fire, whether in a kitchen kamado stove or in the wood-fired stove traditionally used to heat bathwater.

The kakishibu coating gives the paper its distinctive reddish-brown color and helps reinforce the surface. Years of use have created a deep, uneven patina, with variations in color, texture, staining and wear that give each fan its own character.

The front depicts an uchide no kozuchi, or lucky mallet, a traditional Japanese symbol of good fortune, prosperity and wishes coming true. Subtle differences in the shape of the motif, brushwork and paint marks suggest that each image was painted individually by hand.

The reverse bears the name of a Japanese fishing tackle shop, suggesting that the fans were originally produced as promotional items. More than an advertisement, each fan was a genuinely useful household object that could remain in daily use long after it was first given away.

Made for fire, and still ready to work

Despite its considerable age and heavily worn appearance, the fan remains surprisingly sturdy and functional. Its broad surface moves a generous amount of air, making it a wonderfully practical tool for helping along a wood fire or charcoal grill.

Take it camping and use it to fan glowing kindling, embers or charcoal once the fire has caught. It brings together the practicality of an old Japanese household tool and the pleasure of using something with a visible history.

It also makes a striking decorative object when not in use, particularly in a rustic kitchen, cabin or camping space.

Please note

Each order includes one fan.

The available fans share the same design and overall character, but each has aged differently. Variations include the depth and distribution of the kakishibu coating, brushwork, paint marks, stains, fading, creases, worn edges, small holes and areas of paper loss.

The differences are subtle, and neither fan is considered better than the other. Individual selection is therefore not available, and one fan will be chosen at random for each order.