Ibasen
Our company was founded in 1590. Initially, the company sold Japanese paper and bamboo materials, but in the 17th century, it began making uchiwa fans.
We developed the unique technique of "Edo Uchiwa," in which a single piece of bamboo is split and paper is affixed to it, and began selling them widely throughout Edo City. The front of the uchiwa fan was printed using the woodblock printing technique of the time, and since this was the same technique used for ukiyoe printing, we also began publishing ukiyoe prints.
In the late Edo period, uchiwa fans featuring famous ukiyoe artists such as Utagawa Toyokuni I, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and Utagawa Hiroshige became popular. Toward the end of the Edo period, we also began selling Edo fans, which are characterized by thicker bones, fewer bones, and wider folds.
Currently, these products are sold at the main store in Nihonbashi, the Kabuki-za Theater, and department stores in Tokyo, including sales through our website.
Ibasen, a long-established fan and fan maker with a store in Nihonbashi, was founded in 1590.
Ibasen has been loved by Edo people. The entire process of making an Edo fan is done by one person.
The process involves as many as 88 steps, and not even a millimeter of deviation is allowed.