The Tokyo Traveler

On the streets of Tokyo it’s not uncommon to see people of all ages fanning themselves during the hot summer months. Men, women and children have used fans for centuries as a way to stave of the heat and humidity and one company has been crafting these highly functional, and beautiful, Japanese accessories for over 400 years.
Ibasen started business in 1590 and still operates today in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. At first Ibasen mostly dealt in washi (Japanese paper) and bamboo goods but in the late Edo period the company started making and selling uchiwa(fan), sensu (folding …read more

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One of the most recognizable forms of Japanese arts are woodblock prints or ukiyo-e. The word ukiyo refers to the world of common people and e means picture. This art form originated in the late sixteenth century in the ancient capital of Kyoto and the first ukiyo-e were not woodblock prints at all but paintings of everyday life.
As ukiyo-e developed into popular art the subjects of the prints broadened. The equivalent of today’s movie poster were Yakusha-e or woodblock prints of kabuki actors in popular roles and Bijin-ga illustrated beautiful women of Edo. Landscapes came later and were used …read more

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