Great Wave Folding Fan 'Onami'
Folding fan printed with the great wave off Kanagawa, the boats and Mount Fuji in blue and cream, on pale bamboo ribs.
Great Wave Folding Fan 'Onami'
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The short answer
Folding fan with a leaf printed with the great wave, its claws of foam, the boats beneath and Mount Fuji small in the distance, in blue, white and cream, on pale bamboo ribs. One size.
Fabric & care
The composition is stated in the description and printed on the inner label. Machine wash cold, inside out, with similar colours. Hang to dry. Iron on low, inside out over prints or embroidery.
Shipping & returns
Shipping is free on every order, with no minimum. Duties and import taxes are prepaid at checkout. Orders leave in 1 to 3 business days and take 6 to 12 business days on average; a tracking number is emailed on dispatch.
You may return any item within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. Write to contact@yonaku.com and we email you a prepaid label.
What we sell, and what we don't
Japanese designs, made in Asia. Cotton, linen or polyester as stated on each piece, never silk. We name every garment for what it is: a kimono jacket is not a haori, an unlined kimono is not a yukata.
- Free shippingEvery order, no minimum
- Duties prepaidNothing to pay on delivery
- TrackedNumber emailed on dispatch
- 30-day returnsFree, prepaid label
- Sizing helpRuns small: take the larger size
- A person repliesText or email, no bots
About this piece
Folding fan printed with the great wave and Mount Fuji, on pale ribs
The wave, on a fan. This folding fan carries the most famous image in Japanese art, the great wave off Kanagawa with its claws of foam, the boats beneath it and Mount Fuji small and far in the gap, in the print's own blues and creams, on pale bamboo ribs. The wave rises at the left and the mountain sits at the right, as in the print.
It is the fan in the collection with the image everyone knows, and the folds do something the print cannot: they put the wave in motion.
The name, Onami, is the great wave, and the fan is it.
The ribs are split bamboo, thin and even, riveted at the pivot and glued to the leaf along their length, and the two outer guards are heavier so the fan closes square. The leaf is printed, not painted, which is why the image is crisp to the edge of every fold, and the fan opens with a flick of the wrist and closes with a snap.
Carry it closed in a sleeve, a bag or the back of an obi, which is where a folding fan lives in Japan, and open it when the room is warm. With a yukata at a festival it is the accessory; at a desk in August it is the only air conditioning that fits in a pocket. Opened flat on a shelf or a wall it is a picture.
The foam is the detail: the wave's fingers are drawn in the print's own way, curling down over the boats, and they cross the pleats without breaking. The mountain is small and pale in the distance, which is how the print puts it, and the cream of the sky is the print's paper.
Every fan in the collection is photographed open on the same pale ground at the same scale, so the pages compare with each other: the large fan is large, the others are the size of a hand and a half. The photograph shows the printed face; the reverse is plain.
Keep it dry; a wet leaf marks and a wet rib warps. Open it fully before you fold it, so the pleats find their creases, and store it closed. It does not need anything else.
From across a room it is a blue and cream fan with a wave on it. From close the foam shows its fingers, the boats their oarsmen, and the mountain its size. It is the fan for a navy or white yukata and the person who has seen the print and wants to hold it.
Questions about the japanese fan
What is the difference between a sensu and an uchiwa?
A sensu folds: ribs of bamboo with a leaf glued over them, carried closed and opened with a wrist. An uchiwa is flat and round on a handle and does not fold; it moves more air and lives by the door in summer.
Is the image painted or printed?
Printed. It is crisp to the edge of every fold and it does not flake. The plain uchiwa and the carved wooden fan carry no image at all.
What are they made of?
Split bamboo ribs with a printed paper or cloth leaf; the large fan has lacquered ribs; the openwork fan is carved wood with no leaf; the uchiwa is paper on a bamboo frame. The fabric line on each page says which.
Are they made in Japan?
No. They are a Japanese design, made in Asia. We say so on every page.
How big are they?
The folding fans are the size of a hand and a half when open, and the length of a hand when closed; the large plain fan opens to about twice that. Every fan is photographed at the same scale, so the pages compare.
How do I look after it?
Keep it dry, open it fully before you close it so the pleats find their creases, and store it closed. Keep the wooden fan out of direct sun.
What we sell, and what we don't
Japanese designs, made in Asia. Cotton, linen or polyester as stated on each piece, never silk. We say so on every page, because the alternative is selling you a word instead of a garment.
On the record
| Piece | Great Wave Folding Fan 'Onami' |
|---|---|
| Chapter | 小物Accessories |
| Collection | Japanese Fan |
| Motif | 波Wave |
| Fabric | Printed leaf, bamboo ribs |
| Sizes | One size |
| Made | Japanese design, made in Asia |
| Reference | YONA-0912 |
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