The Japanese war fan, or ''tessen'' ( ja, 鉄扇,てっせん, tessen, translation="iron fan"), is a weaponized Japanese

hand fan A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is any broad, flat surface that is waved back-and-forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (su ...

designed for use in

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

fare. Several types of war fans were used by the

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

class of

feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inve ...

and each had a different look and purpose.

Description

War fans varied in size, materials, shape, and use. One of the most significant uses was as a signalling device. Signalling fans came in two varieties: * a folding fan that has wood or metal ribs with lacquered paper attached to the ribs and a metal outer cover * a solid open fan made from metal and/or wood, very similar to the ''

gunbai The is a type of signal baton and Japanese war fan. Once held by military leaders (such as daimyō) and priests in the past, it is used in the modern day by umpires in sumo wrestling. Description ''Gunbai'', from the Sino-Japanese roots mea ...

'' used today by sumo referees. The commander would raise or lower his fan and point in different ways to issue commands to the soldiers, which would then be passed on by other forms of visible and audible signalling.Oscar Ratti, Adele Westbrook, ''Secrets of the Samurai: A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan'', p.296-304 War fans could also be used as weapons. The art of fighting with war fans is

tessenjutsu Tessenjutsu ( ja, 鉄扇術, , translation= iron fan technique) is the martial art of the Japanese war fan (tessen). It is based on the use of the solid iron fan or the folding iron fan, which usually had eight or ten wood or iron ribs. The use o ...

Types

* commons:Gunsen fan, were folding fans used by the average warriors to cool themselves off. They were made of wood, bronze, brass or a similar metal for the inner spokes, and often used thin iron or other metals for the outer spokes or cover, making them lightweight but strong. Warriors would hang their fans from a variety of places, most typically from the belt or the breastplate, though the latter often impeded the use of a sword or a bow. *Tessenjutsu, Tessen were folding fans with outer spokes made of heavy plates of iron which were designed to look like normal, harmless folding fans or solid clubs shaped to look like a closed fan. Samurai could take these to places where swords or other overt weapons were not allowed, and some swordsmanship schools included training in the use of the tessen as a weapon. The tessen was also used for fending off knives and darts, as a throwing weapon, and as an aid in swimming. *

Gunbai The is a type of signal baton and Japanese war fan. Once held by military leaders (such as daimyō) and priests in the past, it is used in the modern day by umpires in sumo wrestling. Description ''Gunbai'', from the Sino-Japanese roots mea ...

were large solid open fans that could be solid iron, metal with wooden core, or solid wood, which were carried by high-ranking officers. They were used to ward off arrows, as a sunshade, and to signal to troops.''A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: In All Countries and in All Times''
George Cameron Stone, Courier Dover Publications, 1999, p. 256

War fans in history and folklore

One particularly famous legend involving war fans concerns a direct confrontation between

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

and

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Known a ...

at the

fourth battle of Kawanakajima The were a series of battles fought in the Sengoku period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province from 1553 to 1564. Shingen and Kenshin contested each other for control of the plain of Kawanakaj ...

. Kenshin burst into Shingen's command tent on horseback, having broken through his entire army, and attacked; his sword was deflected by Shingen's war fan. It is not clear whether Shingen parried with a tessen, a dansen uchiwa, or some other form of fan. Nevertheless, it was quite rare for commanders to fight directly, and especially for a general to defend himself so effectively when taken so off-guard.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo conso ...

is said to have defeated the great warrior monk

Saitō Musashibō Benkei , popularly known as simply Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk (''sōhei'') who lived in the latter years of the Heian Period (794–1185) .html" ;"title="/sup>">/sup>. Benkei led a varied life, first becoming a monk, then a mountain ascetic, ...

with a tessen.

Araki Murashige was a retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, head of the powerful "Setssu-Ikeda clan" of Settsu Province. Under Katsumasa, Murashige sided with Oda Nobunaga following Nobunaga's successful campaign to establish power in Kyoto. Military life Murashige be ...

is said to have used a tessen to save his life when the great warlord Oda Nobunaga sought to assassinate him. Araki was invited before Nobunaga, and was stripped of his swords at the entrance to the mansion, as was customary. When he performed the customary bowing at the threshold, Nobunaga intended to have the room's sliding doors slammed shut onto Araki's neck, killing him. However, Araki supposedly placed his tessen in the grooves in the floor, blocking the doors from closing. His tessen saved his life that day. The

Yagyū clan The were a family of ''daimyōs'' (feudal lords) with lands just outside Nara, who became the heads of one of Japan's greatest schools of swordsmanship, Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. The Yagyū were also Kenjutsu teachers to the Tokugawa shōguns and des ...

, sword instructors to the Tokugawa shōguns, included tessenjutsu in their martial arts school, the

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who ...

Gallery

File:Tessen fan.JPG, Antique Edo period Japanese (samurai) solid iron tessen fan. File:Tessen 1.JPG, An iron Japanese tessen fan with wood ribs. File:Gunsen fan.JPG, Antique Edo period Japanese (samurai) gunsen fan with wood ribs and an iron outer cover. File:Gunbai.JPG, Antique Japanese (samurai) gunbai war fan. Wood and lacquer with shell inlay. File:Minamoto-no-Tametomo-by-Kuniyoshi-Utagawa.png, Minamoto no Tametomo with a gunsen fan

Popular culture

* The ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

'' franchise features war fans used by Hisomi on the 2003 version and

April O'Neil April O'Neil is a fictional character from the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics. She is the first human ally of the Ninja Turtles. Her main love interest in the series is Casey Jones. April made her first appearance in the Mirage comi ...

in the 2012 version. *" Demon slayer:Kimestsu no Yaiba" Doma uses sharp fans in combination with his blood demon art. * ''

Avatar: The Last Airbender ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...

'' features war fans used by Avatar Kyoshi and the Kyoshi Warriors including Suki. * The '' Mortal Kombat'' character

Kitana Kitana is a fictional character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Debuting in ''Mortal Kombat II'' (1993), she is a royal from the fictional realm of Edenia. Her primary weapon is a pair o ...

uses war fans as her weapons of choice. * The ''

Code Lyoko ''Code Lyoko'' () is a French animated television series created by Thomas Romain and Tania Palumbo and produced by Antefilms Production (season 1) and MoonScoop Group (seasons 2-4) for France 3 and Canal J, with the participation of Conseil ...

'' character Yumi utilizes a war fan as her primary weapon in the virtual world of Lyoko, eventually dual wielding fans as well. * The MCU version of Doctor Strange features a war fan being used by The Ancient One, mentor of the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

. * A war fan was one of many weapons used by

Vandal Savage Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe, more widely known as Vandal Savage, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is said to be a Cro-Magnon warrior who gained immortality and advanced healing abilities after encount ...

in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed. ...

. * A war fan was used by the Org General Nayzor in ''

Power Rangers Wild Force ''Power Rangers Wild Force'' is a television series and the tenth season of Power Rangers. It is also the anniversary season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 25th Super Sentai series ''Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger'', which itself w ...

''. * War fans inspired the Jungle Fans on ''

Power Rangers Jungle Fury ''Power Rangers Jungle Fury'' is the sixteenth season of the American television series '' Power Rangers'', and is an adaptation of '' Juken Sentai Gekiranger'', the thirty-first Japanese ''Super Sentai'' series. The season premiered on Februar ...

'' and the Sky Fan in ''

Power Rangers Samurai ''Power Rangers Samurai'' is the eighteenth season of the children's television series ''Power Rangers'', which is based on the Japanese ''Super Sentai Series''. The season was the first to be produced by SCG Power Rangers, after Saban Brands ( ...

''. * A war fan is used by

Yukiko Amagi The plot of Atlus's PlayStation 2 console role-playing game, role-playing game ''Persona 4'' is centered on a group of high-school students dedicated to capturing the culprit responsible for the murders and kidnappings that happened in their sm ...

in ''

Persona 4 released outside of Japan as ''Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4'', is a 2008 role-playing video game by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the ''Persona'' series, itself a part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, and was ...

'' * A war fan was used by Qing Ming, the main protagonist on ''

The Yinyang Master ''The Yinyang Master'' () is a 2021 Chinese fantasy film directed by Li Weiran and starring Chen Kun and Zhou Xun. It is adapted from the NetEase game ''Onmyōji'' (which in turn is based on the novel series, ''Onmyōji'' by author Baku Yumem ...

'' and '' The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity''.

References

Sources

*Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook, ''Secrets of the Samurai'', Edison, NJ: Castle Books (1973). {{KobudoWeapons Military communication in feudal Japan Clubs and truncheons of Japan Ventilation fans Samurai weapons and equipment sv:Tessen