The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-11-11
BUYING A FAN IN JAPAN.
EACH HAS A SYMBOLISM HIDDEN
TO THE FOREIGNER.

Buy-The Fan the Emblem OF Lire
--Water-Soaked Fans.
"You want FAM" echoed the smi!-
ing Japanese merchant. What kind?"
The man looked around helplessly.
ooh, any kind that's big and gives
a great deal of wind ! want to get
half a dozen for the Office while
thing of it."
The japanese gave him six big fans.
There was certain amount of pity in
his unfading smile.
"You are SO queer about fans, you
Americans" he said, in his soft, pre-
else little fashion. You want them
only to make you cool"
why not?"
'tOh, it Is all right: it is all right.
You do not understand. A fan is moth
ing to you, but to us-why, in Japan
and China fan is thing of impor-
tance.'
ITO cool one-yes, that is one use,
but only one use. A fan talks, with
us. It tells many things.
you look at Japanese fan. 1t
means nothing to you. You thing the
color, the pictures are pretty. per-
haps; that is all; but to us who know,
the color, the shape, the decoration
hold meaning.
you think the landscapes are fun
ny. We know they are pictures OF
real places, and we can name the
shrines and temples and mountains
and rivers. The men and women al
look alike to you, but they usually
represent historic characters or char
acters in our romance and poetry.
"Fusiyama is just mountain to
you. 1t is sacred to us. You don't
know our flowers and birds and theiI
symbolism.
II could give you this little paper
fan with white storks flying over il
and you'd never know that l was
wishing you long life, and you would
not understand that this cobweb de-
sign is for mourning.
Il can't look at Japanese fan in
any ones hands without having a
whole swarm of associations and fancy
sentiment spring up and buzz in my
you foreigners don't feel enough in
terest to wonder what your Japanese
fan says and look up the meaning. !
should think it would be an interest
Ing fad, and you love fads.
There are SO many kinds OF fans
in Japan, and each kind has its own
use. Even the dolls have their own
fans, and the children have theirs.
There's tea fan used only at SOL
emn tea feasts. The little cakes are
handed with it, but one doesn't use it
to fan with.
Our dancers and geisha girls have
their own type of fan, decorated ap-
propriately, and our jugglers carry
fans that suit their trade There is
a kitchen fan, to be used for bellows,
and a bamboo water fan that is dip
ped in water often while being used,
SO that it makes the air it stirs cool
er.
Almost every political event of i'm
portance in Japan has been pictured
on fans, and every often the rulers
have to forbid the carrying of certain
fans because they spread trouble and
rebellion. You could have whole
history of Japan on fans if you could
find the right fans.
Some of the old fans are not used
now. The ancient court fans were
folding fans of wood, and each noble
family had it's own flower that no one
else dared use.
THE war fan is of iron. covered
with lacquer, and the generals have
silk fans with iron sticks. Have you
ever seen dagger fan? The mobs-
men in Japan carry them. but it is
against the law to take them into
China. Cinnamon have them. all the
same.
Everybody carries fan in China.
1t is even more general there than
in Japan, and there's so much fan ETH
quette among the Chinese that | don't
see how they have time to learn any
thing else.
You know what the fan stands for
in Japan. don't you? No? Why, it is
the emblem CT life and the rivet is
the sword of the god Kashima.
HE received orders to subdue the
world, SO he ran his sword straight
through the earth and left it there.
The world would fall to pieces if the
sword rivet were pulled out. That
story suggested the making of the
folding fans, but there's an old legend
that says the widow of famous jap
anese patriot invented the folding fan.
She went into a convent in Kioto at
ter her husbands death. and when
a great saint was dying of fever she
cured him by folding piece of paper
and tanning him night and day. The
nuns copied the paper fan and the
order is famous for its fans even now.
Some day I will show you all my
fans and tell you what each one
means, but I don't see how you can
buy fans, and buy more fans. and
never ask, What do they say2 what