# Round fan

団扇 uchiwa

![Round fan](https://www.furoshiki.com/motifs/uchiwa.svg)

The flat round fan of summer festivals and evening cooling-off; a light summer motif.

From China; found at Kofun-period sites; everyday item from the Edo period

Flat fans came from China and have been found at Kofun-period sites, where elites used them to shield the face and ward off evil and insects. Nara and Heian court examples survive at the Shōsōin. In the Edo period cheap bamboo-and-paper uchiwa printed with pictures became part of everyday summer life, and ukiyo-e shows women cooling themselves on summer evenings.

Kyoto, Marugame (Kagawa) and Bōshū (Chiba) are the three classic production areas; uchiwa are handed out at summer festivals and used for advertising.

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Source: https://www.furoshiki.com/motifs/uchiwa/