Japanese handmade zodiac fans

Ibasen is a traditional fan company based in Tokyo, founded in 1590 by Ibaya Kanzaemon.

At that time, Edo was the new capital of Japan. Ibasen became the fan supplier of the Edo shogunate. From 16th to 18th century, Japanese Uchiwa fans were made with washi paper and bamboo. The development of Ukiyo-e printing allowed Ibasen to create new patterns and figurative decoration. Famous Ukiyo-e artists from 18th century, created fans and Ukiyo-e for Ibasen, such as Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Toyokuni, Utagawa Hiroshige or Utagawa Sadahide.

Today, you can view Ukiyo-e printed fans by Ibasen in the collections of the British Museum, the Guimet Museum of Oriental Art, the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.