Uchiwa-e
characteristics. Unlike folding hand fans, which originated in Japan in the 6th or 7th century, non-folding flat, oval or "bean-shaped" were a Chinese import. In terms of popular usage, had a close connection with Edo urban culture which gained momentum during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Folding fans, known as , or , remained the dominant accessory within the realm of the sophisticated court culture prevailing in Kyoto at the time. Historically, were an ostensibly feminine accessory, with men more typically carrying folding fans. They were simultaneously fashion accessories and functional items for daily use. They are strongly  associated with summer, having been sold only during the summer months, and often decorated with summer imagery. At least one critic argues that, due to their use by women during periods of intense heat, "can have suggestive connotations." history. with printed designs were first produced in Japan sometime in or prior to the 1680s. One of the earliest extant examples is a 1684 by entitled , which includes illustrations within fan-shaped frames. Other notable examples placing within a socio-historical context are prints by from 1767 or 1768 featuring (fan sellers), and an 1814 print by Utagawa Kunisada depicting kabuki  actor Ichikawa Dannosuke II in the role of a fan vendor. One historical fan vendor whose life is well-recorded is . Ebiya printed and sold both fan and standard-sized prints until around 1895. Although Ebiya's publishing house originally commissioned designs from Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Kuniyoshi exclusively, they expanded their roster to include other artists from the late 1850s. During the 19th century, the production of and prints was under the strict control of a guild of fan publishers operating under a system of rules and regulations different from those applying to regular published prints. Beginning in 1815  and lasting to the end of the Edo period (1603-1868), fan prints were commonly marked with seals indicating their year of publication. Examples. Most, if not all, major Edo period woodblock print artists worked within the medium in addition to with standard prints and illustrated books. designs fall into all of the major categories of prints, including (actor prints), (beauties), (landscapes), (nature prints) and (warrior prints). Some notable works which survive in collections today are by Katsukawa Shunshō (1726-1793), Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825), Kunisada (1786-1865), Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) and Hiroshige (1797-1858).