Fans

Together with white tabi (split-toe socks), the folding fan (ōgi) constitutes the basic equipment of every noh practitioner. Like tabi, fans are not exclusive to nō, but are part of the traditional accessories carried when wearing a kimono. When it is not held in the hand, the fan is tucked in the obi sash or hakama. When sitting, it is placed in front the knees, parallel to the body. The fan at once signals and delimits one’s individual space and is perceived as a sign of politeness, indicating inferiority with regards to the person one is facing.

Use in performance

On stage, kōken stage assistants place their fans in front of them and remove them only when they stand and move. Chorus members (jiutai), also place the fan in front of them at the beginning of a performance. Just before chanting, they carefully pick up their fans with both hands and, in the case of a full performance, hold them vertically in their right hands, to the left of their right knees. At the end of a chant section, they place the fans back on the floor, indicating their ‘active’ or ‘inactive’ status. The vertical placement of the fan is reminiscent of the way the shaku, the wooden slates held by courtiers and shrine priests, is held. In fact the shaku is an ancestor of the fan, The closed fan may be interpreted as an antenna, conveying energies from the heavens and transmitting them to the earth. Buddhist monks often carry fans similar to those used in noh, which they hold when chanting prayers both as a form of respect and as a way to straighten their posture during the ritual, a function that is also shared by the fan used by the chorus in a noh play.

Hayashi musicians also carry small fans: the taiko drummer places the fan to his right, while the kotsuzumi and kotsuzumi drummers place it behind their stools. The flute player places it to his right with one open leaf, and rests the flute on it when he is not playing. In the case of the koken, chorus and musicians, the fan defines the space of ‘human beings’ as distinct from that of the characters.

As the fan is a standard implement of traditional clothing, so it is for the characters appearing in a noh play, most of whom carry a fan. In performance, the fan has two main functions: the first is descriptive, as the fan design complements the costume, thus creating the identity of the character. The second function is narrative: the fan is a performance tool, allowing the character to act out a story.

All noh performances invariably begin with a closed fan, and closing the fan is often the last gesture actors perform before leaving the stage. Though a folding fan only has these two basic states (open and closed), actors manipulate it in a variety of ways. Together with the body, the fan may be used in mimetic or abstract movements. Mimetic uses of the fan include using it to represent a sword, a bow, an arrow, a cup, or a pillow. When used to perform abstract movements, the fan acquires meaning in combination with the lyrics sung. It may express resentment, longing, or gratitude.

The fan is at once signifier and signified: it completes the outfit of a character, but it also transcends its realistic appearance to signify something else. It transforms itself but it also transforms the reality it points to. Whether open or closed, the fan is an extension of the performer’s body, emphasizing gestures such as pointing or receiving. Like the mask, whose gaze materializes what the character sees, the fan points to invisible objects, from distant mountain peaks to a horde of enemy warriors, from the mercy of Buddha to the longing for a lost love. The fan urges the audience to imagine what is invisible to the eye. As such, it is a powerful means of interaction between the audience and the performers. Most movement patterns (kata), such as pointing-opening, can be performed with a closed or open fan, with a different object, or without holding any item in hand.

Use in performance

Two types of folding fans are used in noh: the shizume ōgi and the chūkei, words that indicate the construction and overall shape of each fan.  In addition, an oval, flat fan (tōuchiwa) is used for Chinese roles.

Shizume-ōgi 鎮扇

The basic structure of shizume ōgi (“closed-tip fan”) folds totally flat, like a stick, when shut and is similar to the standard fan used as an everyday life implement. This kind of fan is carried by all noh performers who are not performing a character. The basic 10-leaf structure is the same, though size, head shape and other details differs from school to school. Shizume ōgi used for training have simple designs, different for each school. This kind fan is also used in the performance of shimai and maibayashi when the performer is dressed in kimono and hakama and does not wear a mask. In this case, the fans may be decorated with elaborate designs. In this kind of recital-style performance, the fan can substitute for certain hand-held properties, such as swords. The shizume-ōgi is also used by kyōgen actors both in ai interludes and in independent kyōgen performances.

Chūkei 中啓

The chūkei (“spread-tip fan”) is used exclusively in full performances, for the roles of shite, tsure, kokata, waki and waki-tsure. This fan has 15 leaves, some of which are partially bent at the base of the paper so the tip of the closed fan flares out like a slightly open fan even when folded. Chūkei are beautifully decorated and are considered of a higher rank in comparison with the shizume-ōgi.

Like costumes and masks, the decoration on a fan indicates the nature of the character who carries it. One way of categorizing them is according to role-type. Different kinds of fans are used for Okina, Gods, Old men, Warriors, Old Women, Young Women, Men, Boys, Mad Women, Demons (see chart below). This distinction generally follows the five-category (goban-date) repertory categorization, though certain character types, such as the old man, may appear in several play categories. The bamboo sticks of the fan may be left untreated (shiro-bone, or ‘white frame’) for characters of deities and men alive in the narrative present, or may be coated with dark lacquer (kuro-bone, or ‘black frame’) for women, spirits, ghost warriors or demons. This subdivision follows the principle of yin (negative, female, dark, death) vs yang (positive, male, bright, life).

Fans can be subdivided in two large groups: With colorful illustrations on gold leaf background, or With black ink drawings on white background. A frequent feature of colorful chūkei fans is cloud designs (unkei) at the bottom, and colored embellishments (tsuma) at the top left and right of the paper. Tsuma can be red (tsuma beni, for young characters) or blue (tsuma kon, for older characters), following the iro iri / iro nashi color convention that also applies to costumes.

Some fans may have different designs on their front and back, though they are usually semantically correlated. Other fans have the same design on both front and back. In these cases, the back design mirrors the front, (a technique called uchinuki) so that the fan displays the same L-R design regardless of how it is held.

Illustrations range from realistic to abstract. Realistic and detailed designs are used for refined characters such as deities or women, while bold and abstract designs feature fans for demons or men.

Two kinds of non-folding fans are used in special cases. The Chinese-style tō-uchiwa commonly used by Chinese characters, and a round fan made with feathers, ha-uchiwa, used exclusively for tengu characters.

Making a noh fan requires few materials: bamboo, paper, glue, gold or silver leaf, and natural pigments. However, the construction process is complex and involves the effort of different artisans, including the bamboo cutter, the paper-maker, the painter, and, finally, the fan-maker, who finalizes the production bringing all materials together and assembling the fan.

Noh fans chart

Contributor: Diego Pellecchia