The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1885-10-10
JAPANESE FANS.
The Serious Side of Their Gaudy PIeto.
rial Decorations.

The Serious Side of Their Gaudy PIcto.
rial Decorations.
The fan picturers of japan are an
especial separate guild, as distinct
from artists in other branches as with
us the scene painter is from the por-
trait painter. The unknowing English
man looking at the japanese fan sees
nothing in it but on one side grotes-
que representation of the penny
plain and twopeLce colored" order,
and upon the other few crude
splashes of ink. But to the citizen OF
Toxic or Osaka each fan carries a
special signifcation-a story or part
of a story; an allusien, a satire, or a
suggestive idea. To certain degree
the fan is to the japanese citizen what
Panch or the window of the Stereo.
scopic Company is to the Londoner.
If q political event of some import
ance takes place, it is sure to be fol-
lowed by q flood of fans upon the
market and the japanese, who have
the keenest sense of humor and ridf
cule, find that to libel or criticiSe or
car cature by means of a fan is safer
and cheaper than by means OF press.
When Japan was first thrown open
to certain class of foreigners, and
even for some time after, until
the natives grew accustomed to their
new guests, it was difficult to take up
4 fan without being confronted by
some hideous caricature OF Western
personal appearance, manners and Gus
toms. But now that every town-bred
native tries to look as much as possible
like a European, and that the common
crowd have become familiar with cigars
and breeches, the fountain-head OF fan
ridicule is the powers that bu.
Fan-libel is a cheaper and safer mode
of procedure than pen-libel, because
the public censors are thoroughly &C
quainted with the editors and proprie-
tors of the few public journals. while
the number of fan artists and mer-
chants is legion. Not always does the
reverse side-the palmer side-of the
Japanese fan bear a well-known allu-
sion. Sometimes it is simple carica-
ture, and an examination OF one OF
these caricatures reveals that, however
crude and sketchy the execution, the
most genuine vein of humor lies be-
meath it, especially if it be what is
deemed the forte of japanese carica-
turists-the delineation of grotesque
animals.
Sometimes we get a bit of landscape,
the inevitable Fujiyama, or teahouse
by torrent, or a countryside repre-
scuted by a few apparently random
dashes, of which each, however, tells
its tale-or we get one of those weird
moonlight effects OF which the Japan
csc are so fond. The great character
iStic of all these is truth to nature. The
rabbit nibbling at bale of rice may
have clothes on, but they are rabbits
for all that; foxes especially are de-
lineated in all conceivable attitudes and
costumes, but they are perfect foxes;
so with wild birds, frogs. monkeys,
fish and storks.
The gaudy side of the Japanese fan
is invariably a serious piece of WORK,
and the scenes depicted are generally
either bits from a popular drama or
from one of those countless legends
and stories which have delighted jap
anese of all classes and ages from time
and in many cases bear
SO strong family likeness to the sto-
ries so familiar to English childhood
Montreal Exchange.