Traditional craft
Boshu Uchiwa
房州うちわ
Flat fans from southern Chiba, where one finger-thick bamboo is split into 40-odd ribs that fan out into a half-moon lattice.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 17 March 2003
- Type
- Other crafts
- Region
- Kanto
- Official name in Japanese
- 房州うちわ
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 館山市、南房総市
One bamboo, a whole fan
A Boshu uchiwa starts as a single round stem of medake bamboo about as thick as a finger. The top is split into fine ribs that spread into a beautiful half-moon lattice, while the bottom stays round as the handle. That round handle sets it apart from the other two of Japan's three great uchiwa, Kyo uchiwa with its inserted handle and Marugame uchiwa with its flat one. It is light and strong. It is made in Tateyama and Minamiboso in Chiba.
21 steps, many hands
- A round medake stem is split finely at one end; a 1 cm stem can become more than 40 ribs.
- The ribs are woven with thread and set on a madake bow.
- Washi or silk or cotton cloth is pasted on.
- The edges are bound.
- The handle end is filled and painted. In all, a fan passes 21 steps among specialist craftsmen.
A bamboo country
Uchiwa making in Kanto began in the Edo period, and Boshu, the south of the Boso Peninsula, supplied the bamboo. Making whole fans in Boshu is said to have begun around 1877, and by 1884 it was a major product of the district. After the Great Kanto Earthquake many fan makers moved here.
Good to know
- Compare the three handle styles if you can: round in Boshu, flat in Marugame, inserted in Kyoto.
- An uchiwa is flat and light, so it packs easily in a suitcase.
Questions travellers ask
What are Japan's three great uchiwa?
Boshu, Kyo and Marugame uchiwa.
How is a Boshu uchiwa different?
Its round handle and its ribs are one piece of bamboo, split into a half-moon lattice.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.