The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1905-01-07
BUYING A FAN IN JAPAN.
EACH HAS A SYMBOLISM HIDDEN
TO THE FOREIGNER.
Every Article Means Something More
. Than That for Which Americans
\ Buy-The Fan the Emblem Of Life
-Water-Soaked Fans.

Buy-The Fan the Emblem Of Life
-Water-Sosked Fans.
"YOu want FAM" echoed the smil-
|. mg Japanese merchant. What kind?"
4 The man looked around helplessly.
"Oh, any kind that's big and gives
. great deal of wind. l want to get
half a dozen for the Office while l
/ ding OF it,
The Japanese gave him six big FANS
/ There was certain amount of pity in
! hh 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?"
"Oh, 1t is all right; it is all right
You do not understand. A fan is moth
ing to you, but to us-why, in Japan
md China a far is thing Of impor-
tance."
ITO cool one-yes, that is one use,
but only one use. A fan talks, with
rs. 1t tells many things.
"You look at a 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
~. We know they are pictures Of
real places, and we can name the
shrihes and temples and mountains
and rivers. The men and women al
box alike to you, but they usually
represent historic characters Or char
scters in our romance and poetry.
"Fusiyama is just mountain to
you. It is sacred to us. You don't
know our flowers and birds and their
symbolism. ...
Il could give you this little paper
s4aa with white storks flying over it
and you'd never know that was
Wishing you long life, and you would
tot understand that this cobweb de-
tgn is for mourning.
Il can't look at a Japanese fan in
ny ones hands without having a
shole swarm of associations and fancy
/ Dentiment spring up and buzz in my
head, and sometimes | wonder why
Jou foreigners. don't feel enough in
/ lerest to wonder what your Japanese
m says and look up the meaning.
Mould think it would be an interest
shs fad, and you love fads.
There are so many kinds of fans
~ Japan, and each kind has its own
re Even the dolls have their. own
lAs, and the children have theirs.
There's tea fan used only at sbl-
Eenn tea feasts. The little cakes are
1anded with it, but one doesn!'t-use it
~ fan with. -,
& Our dancers and geisha girls have
Iii own type of fan, decorated ap-
.3npriately, and our jugglers carry
Rhns that suit their trade. There is
n kitchen fan. to be used for bellows,
md. bamboo water fan that is dip,
ia In water often while being used,
- that it makes the air it stirs cool
- sy NI. 80
Almost every political event Of i'm
Dortance in Japan has been pictured
fans, and every often the rulers
I'VE to forbid the carrying Of Certain
ms because they spread trouble and
nbellion. You could have whole
Iltory of Japan on fans if you could
u the right fans.
Some of the old fans are not used
~. The ancient court fans were
Ming fans of wood, and each noble
sohily had its own flower that no one
le dared use.
The war fan is of iron, covered
th lacquer, and the generals have
y fans with iron sticks. Have you
yer seen a dagger fan? The mobs-
IN in Japan carry them, but it is
Ainst the law to take them into
Nina. Cinnamon have them. all the
me.
Everybody carries fan in China.
b even more general there than
Japan, and there's SO much fan eti-
cite among the Chinese that | don't |
y how they have time to learn any
9ng else. :.
You know what the fan stands for
yapan, don't you? Nc? Why, it is
emblem Cf life and the rivet is
sword of the god Kashima.
He received orders to subdue the
It'd, 10 he ran his sword straight
0ugh the earth and left it there.
world would fall to pisces if the
N rivet were pulled out. That
y suggested the making of the
ofng fans, but there's an old legend
says the widow Of a famous Jap:
sc patriot invented the folding fam.
vent into convent IN Kioto af-
her husbands death, and when
teat saint was dying of fever she,
"a him by folding piece Of paper
tanning him night and day. The
copied the paper fan and the
a Is famous for its fans even now.
ome day l will show you all my
and tell you what each one
e, but don't see how you can,
fans. ana buy more fans. and |
81 ask. What do they say? whak't
Mey tell me?' We Japanese aE1
y ask. Why? What? Where?'' !