Was the folding fan invented by the Japanese? Is that why the opening ceremony used a doughnut fan.

The fan was introduced to Japan from the Tang Dynasty during the Nara period. In Japan, the fan was first used by the court nobles. It was only at the end of the Heian period that it was allowed to be used by the common people. At that time, in both China and Japan, there were only two shapes of fans, round and square, and the round shape was used a lot, so it was called a fan.

During the Muromachi period, military fans made of iron and leather appeared in Japan and were used by military generals as a tool for commanding their positions during wars. The fan was painted with stars, sun and moon on the surface of the fan using red lacquer or gold and silver powder, and the end of the fan's handle was decorated with a tassel. The shape of the fan used in the battlefield is retained in the military uniforms used for judging sumo wrestling matches.

In the late Edo period, the use of fans to keep cool by the Japanese city dwellers became more and more common. The fan became popular with the boom of summer festivals and bon festivals in Japan. One of the three major festivals in Tohoku, Japan, "with the pig festival" is a fan-shaped lantern. It is said to be from the Chinese Three Kingdoms, and the fan is painted with images of warriors.

During the Genroku period, the fan became an indispensable accessory for Japanese women to cool off in the evening. The fan became more closely associated with the population, and merchants began to sell them as merchandise in the market. This further contributed to the development of the fan, and silver fans and fans made of silk appeared one after another, and the fan became extremely elaborate. Thus, the fan from the practical and the development of appreciation and decoration. Fan types also increased. Such as the emergence of large fire extinguishing fan, lacquer waterproof fan, but also to send the wind to regulate the fire fan.

The fans related to people's beliefs also came into being. In southern China and Okinawa, Japan, there was a fan made from the leaves of the cattail, which was mainly used by witches. There were also the Hogui fan and the Tengu fan for religious beliefs. As we all know, "Edo no Hana" has a fire, and in order to avoid fire, it was a superstition in the past that hanging a fan in front of the door would prevent fire.

As mentioned earlier, the folding fan was invented in Japan. The first fan was made of thin slices of the hinoki tree, so it was called a hinoki fan, and later it was changed to a paper fan. Folding fans were introduced at the beginning of the Heian Period. According to the Nishinomiya Chronicle, in the early Heian period, court nobles gave their retainers folding fans during the summer months, and the fan became one of the items that retainers carried when they went about their business in the palace. Later, court ladies were also influenced by it and often took a folding fan as a decoration around them.

It was also during the Heian period that Japanese hinoki fans were introduced to China through trade. It was quickly accepted by the Chinese, who began to manufacture folding fans and spread them to Europe. Since people liked fans and needed them in their daily lives, the development of fans was promoted. It appeared that the fan surface was painted with patterns, figures, and writing poems and aphorisms. At that time, fans became fashionable when summer was in full swing. In the Kamakura period, the fashion of Japanese men's straight clothes and hunting clothes centered on fans. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, many people also enjoyed painting and waving the brush on fans.

Fans were also used as stage props. Kabuki use the fan Zhang and, behavior to indicate the mood of the characters in the play. Such as drinking, can not use the wine glass, with the fan can be a visual representation of drinking, drunkenness. Chinese martial arts also use the fan, called "Shaolin Temple Fan Gong".

Fans are given as gifts in Japan on auspicious occasions. When the fan is opened, it stretches out to both sides, symbolizing the widening of the path one takes and a brightening of the future. In the past, it was also customary to use a white bone fan for public officials and a black bone fan for samurai. One look at the fan would tell you the identity of the person.

During the Meiji era, Japanese folding fans became one of the best-selling trade commodities and were exported to many European countries. At that time, the fan evolved from paper to silk and was very popular. By the Taisho era, fans had become an everyday item for the common people and were widely used in festivals, religious pujas, and folklore events.