DESIGN

Kokontozai: KASHIYUKA’s Shop of Japanese Arts and Crafts — Kyoto Folding Fan

『カーサブルータス』2024年5月号より

May 8, 2024 | Design | KASHIYUKA’s Shop of Japanese Arts and Crafts | photo_Keisuke Fukamizu hair & make-up_Masako Osuga editor_Masae Wako　translation_ Mika Yoshida & David G. Imber

Searching all of Japan for handcrafted items that express its heart and soul, our proprietor, KASHIYUKA, presents things that bring a bit of luxury to everyday life. This time she visited Hakuchikudo, a long-established Kyoto-style fan maker whose history dates back beyond three centuries. There she encountered this supple handcraft composed of washi paper and bamboo.

At Hakuchikudo’s flagship shop, in continuous operation since 1718. Kyo-sensu is a style of handheld fan fully constructed with materials and processes performed within the prefectures of Kyoto and Shiga. Our shopkeeper, KASHIYUKA, selects a hand-painted fan, commenting that, “this will go well not only with traditional kimono, but also with everyday Western fashion.”

The Japanese folding fan offers an easygoing yet sophisticated way to keep cool. I find the Kyo-sensu particularly appealing for the beauty of its surfaces.

“In the early Heian period [794 to 1185] nobles drew words on wooden slats, called mokkan, as a simple means of messaging one another. One theory suggests that the bundling of these slats was the origin of the folding fan. In other words, from the first, their surfaces conveyed thoughts and emotions. It was during the Muromachi period [1336 to 1753] that the fan known today, made of paper with bamboo spines, came into being,” explained Mr. Yamaoka Komazō, the tenth-generation proprietor of Hakuchikudo. The Kyoto-style fan maker has been in operation for over 300 years.

Purchase No. 72【Kyoto Folding Fan】Crafted to draw in a gentle waft of cool.

At their main shop, headquartered in the city of Kyoto, there are fans of various kinds, from those made of washi, onto which seasonal flowers and plants are painted, to fabric surfaces of Nishijin-ori textile and lace.