are hand-held fans created as a special product of the city of Gifu

Gifu, Gifu

is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...

 in Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. They have been labeled as one of Gifu's traditional crafts and have a history dating back to the Muromachi period

Muromachi period

The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...

. The fans were first created as omiyage for tourists and visitors to Cormorant Fishing on the Nagara River

Cormorant Fishing on the Nagara River

has played a vital role in the history of the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Throughout its long history, it evolved from a means to live, to a profitable industry, to a major tourist draw...

.

History

The Oyudan no Ue no Nikki (御湯殿上日記), a journal from the Muromachi period

Muromachi period

The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...

, records that Gifu's Zuiryū-ji

Zuiryu-ji (Gifu)

is a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai sect built in Mino Province . It is a branch temple of Myōshin-ji in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan....

 gave away fans as gifts. A member of the Matsudaira clan

Matsudaira clan

The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. It first originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province . Over the course of its history, the clan produced many branches, most of which also centered around Mikawa Province...

 officially named the fans Gifu Uchiwa.

Today, over 10,000 fans are produced each year.

Features

Gifu Uchiwa are beautiful and strong fans entirely handmade from washi (Japanese paper) and bamboo. The covers for the fans are made using Mino washi

Mino washi

is a type of Japanese paper created in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. In 1985, it was designated a Traditional Craft by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry .-History:...

, while the base structure is made in more fine a detail than the fans made in Marugame

Marugame, Kagawa

is a city located in Kagawa, Japan.-Geography:As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 110,550 and the density of 989 persons per km². Marugame occupies the centre of an alluvial plain. The total area is 111.79 km².-Points of interest:...

 and Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

. There are over 20 individual steps required to make one fan.