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Paper Fans

What is a Hand Fan?

  • Japanese paper hand fans are known as Akomeōgi (衵扇)

  • Japanese fans were invented back in the 6th to 9th centuries

  • Fans were also used in military as a way to send signals

  • The colors and pictures on a fan have particular meanings; gold colored fans means wealth while red and white means luck.

More information about Japanese paper hand fans:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB0sA6COcAI

Japanese hand fans were initially used as a form of material to transfer messages through messages, a tool to instruct and educate, a symbol of status and even as a weapon.
Samurai class used Japanese hand fans as weapons while the Japanese aristocrats used them as a symbol of status. The term for Samurai war fans are known as "tessen".

Tessen: Japanese war fan

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How to Make a paper fan

Materials

Instructions

  1. Paper Plate

  2. Scissors

  3. Craft Sticks

  4. Markers

  5. Paint & Brushes (Decoration)

  6. Glue

  1. Carefully cut your paper plate in half equally.

  2. Go ahead and color both side of your hand fan the way you like!

  3. Grab your glue and stick the craft stick together at one end at about a 90 degree angle

  4. When the glue is dry stick the other ends to the paper plate

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Questions

  • Where did the hand fans come from?
     

  • What was the hand fan used for?

  • How many types of hand fans are there?
     

  • How did children use the hand fans?

  • What were hand fans made out of?

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