With summer approaching, the production of Kyoto Uchiwa fans, which feature eye-catching designs of morning glories and goldfish, is at its peak. At Shiomi Dansen in Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City, artisans carefully handcraft each fan.
Kyoto Uchiwa fans, designated as a national traditional craft, are characterized by their wide variety of designs and the "insert handle" technique, in which a wooden or bamboo handle is attached after the fan is made.
Shiomi Dansen produces about 200,000 fans of over 200 varieties each year, and sells them at department stores and its own online shop. In the workshop, hand-dyed washi paper with designs of the Gion Festival and other festivals was pasted onto about 80 bamboo ribs arranged in a radial pattern.
President Yoshikatsu Akita (61 years old) said, "They are fun to display, but they also function well as fans. We hope people will actually use them."
