[Kagawa Traditional Craft] What is Marugame Uchiwa? Comprehensive Guide to Its History, Characteristics, Craftsmanship, and Contemporary Appeal

Title: [Kagawa Traditional Craft] What is Marugame Uchiwa? Comprehensive Guide to Its History, Characteristics, Craftsmanship, and Contemporary Appeal

“Marugame Uchiwa” is one of Japan’s representative traditional crafts produced in Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture. Characterized by sturdy construction skillfully combining bamboo and Japanese paper with beautiful designs, it accounts for the majority of nationwide uchiwa (fan) production.

Techniques continuing from the Edo period are still inherited today, with craftsmen’s advanced skills shining through in delicate handmade frameworks, painting, and finishing.
This article provides a detailed explanation of Marugame Uchiwa’s history, characteristics, craftsmanship in the production process, and its appeal being rediscovered in contemporary living and tourism.

What is Marugame Uchiwa? – Kagawa Bamboo Craft Boasting Four Hundred Years of Tradition

Marugame Uchiwa is one of Japan’s three major uchiwa types, produced primarily in Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture, as beautiful crafts where bamboo and Japanese paper interweave. Its origins trace back to the early Edo period, beginning when a monk brought back uchiwa-making from the capital of Kyoto and spread the craft.

Marugame is a bamboo production area, and as craftsman culture developed as a castle town, uchiwa-making combining precise finishing with practical beauty took root. Currently designated as a nationally designated Traditional Craft, it attracts attention not only at festivals and as daily necessities nationwide but also at overseas design fairs.

Marugame Uchiwa, where bamboo’s flexibility coexists with handcraft warmth, truly represents “beautiful to use” craftsmanship.

Origins and History – From Edo Religious Faith to Common People’s Practical Goods

Marugame Uchiwa’s history dates back approximately 390 years to the early Edo period. It is said to have begun in Kanei 10 (1633) when Yugen, head priest of Konko-in temple affiliated with Konpira Daigongen, devised vermillion-red shibu uchiwa with round gold seal as souvenirs for Kotohira Shrine worshippers.

This gradually gained reputation, and during the Tenmei period (1781-1789), the Marugame Domain encouraged it as side work for lower-ranking samurai, developing as an industry through castle town merchants and craftsmen. In the late Edo period, Marugame Port bustled with Konpira pilgrimage boats, distributing nationwide as souvenirs for worshippers and becoming indispensable summer tools in common people’s daily lives.

After the Meiji period, demand increased as tourist souvenirs and advertising uchiwa, reaching peak production in the 1955-1964 Showa 30s period. Currently producing approximately 100 million annually and accounting for about 90% of national market share as Japan’s premier uchiwa production area, it is known domestically and internationally. Designated as a nationally designated Traditional Craft in 1997 (Heisei 9), the coexistence of tradition and industry represents Marugame Uchiwa’s greatest characteristic.

Materials and Techniques – Delicate Forms Born from a Single Bamboo

Marugame Uchiwa’s appeal lies in its manufacturing method carving handle and ribs from a single bamboo piece. In the currently mainstream “flat-handle uchiwa,” the process of splitting bamboo and spreading it radially to create the framework requires advanced skills, with craftsmen carving uniform elasticity while assessing bamboo joints and thickness.

Japanese paper or cloth is then applied, with all 47 processes including die-cutting, drying, and edge-binding performed entirely by hand.
Japanese paper uses:

• Echizen washi
• Awa washi
• Inshu washi
• Tosa washi

Hand-made washi from various regions, achieving both breathability and strength.
Paste composition for bonding is adjusted according to paper thickness, with drying time subtly adjusted by craftsmen’s experience.

This series of handwork produces finishes combining lightness and durability, bringing texture and warmth impossible in mass-produced items. About 100-200 uchiwa are made from a single bamboo, with techniques maximizing bamboo’s flexibility representing Marugame Uchiwa’s essence.

Design and Design Diversification – Contemporary Expression Transcending Tradition

Marugame Uchiwa has evolved from mere daily necessities into art and design fields. Beyond traditional plain and indigo-dyed versions, diverse designs suited to purposes and seasons are born, including hand-painted patterns by artists and luxury items with yuzen dyeing and gold leaf decoration.

Recently, collaborations with contemporary artists and designers flourish, with uchiwa incorporating transparent film and woodblock printing techniques also appearing. Popular as interior items and gifts as well. Particularly in the “Kagawa Uchiwa Craftsmen Project,” efforts progress to inherit traditional techniques while fusing new sensibilities, with increasing opportunities for young craftsmen to present at international exhibitions. Marugame Uchiwa transcends traditional craft frameworks, evolving into designs accompanying the times.

Characteristics and Appeal of Marugame Uchiwa

Marugame Uchiwa’s appeal lies in bamboo texture, Japanese paper lightness, and precise handcrafted forms. As crafts combining practicality and beauty, they continue captivating domestic and international fans.

Particularly, the unique structure creating handle and ribs integrally from single bamboo achieves sturdiness and flexibility unmatched by uchiwa from other regions. Additionally, surface finishes using hand-made washi or cloth calculate even transmitted light and airflow patterns, valued as symbols of Japanese culture feeling coolness.

Recently, design quality has also improved, gaining popularity as contemporary art uchiwa utilizing traditional techniques.

Harmony of Bamboo and Japanese Paper – Natural Beauty Created by Materials

Marugame Uchiwa maximally brings out natural material appeal as crafts. Frameworks use Kagawa Prefecture-produced madake bamboo or Iyo (Ehime Prefecture) bamboo, lightweight yet excellent in strength.

In the process of thinly shaving bamboo and spreading radially, craftsmen make subtle adjustments by touch and sound to produce uniform thickness and elasticity. Japanese paper applied to this framework has good breathability and transmits soft light, providing pleasant coolness with each use.

Paper uses hand-made washi from various regions including Echizen washi, Awa washi, Inshu washi, and Tosa washi, with finishes utilizing material textures themselves being characteristic. As sung “Iyo bamboo with Tosa paper affixed, waving brings supreme (Shikoku) coolness with Sanuki uchiwa,” the harmony of different materials bamboo and paper brings comfort letting you feel nature’s breath, representing Marugame Uchiwa’s unique appeal.

Balance of Lightness and Strength – Structural Beauty Supporting Usability

Marugame Uchiwa has a reputation for being surprisingly light yet sturdy. The secret lies in craftsmanship thoroughly knowing bamboo properties. Shape is stabilized through the “bending” process of splitting bamboo and bending while heating with fire, ensuring strength utilizing bamboo fiber direction.

The “round handle structure” creating handle and ribs integrally resists breaking without adhesion or joints, not tiring even with long use. Additionally, paper application methods and paste amounts are ingenious, designed to resist warping even in humid summers and send wind softly.

Structure itself is design, also characterized by shining design beauty without waste. Marugame Uchiwa balancing usability and beauty truly represents the typical “design created by function.”

Japanese Beauty Staging Coolness – Crafts Coloring Living

Marugame Uchiwa is not merely practical items but cultural existence symbolizing Japanese “coolness.” Uchiwa-fanning gestures, sounds, and wind sensations contain emotion feeling seasonal transitions.

Recently also popular as interior items utilizing washi transparency and pattern beauty, used for wall hangings, store decorations, and stage productions. Particularly, luxury uchiwa with indigo dyeing and gold leaf receive high recognition from domestic and international collectors as artistic crafts.

Furthermore, adopted for summer festivals, gift items, and hotel welcome gifts, representing excellent examples of traditional crafts blending into daily life. Marugame Uchiwa remains alive today as tools feeling coolness while simultaneously symbolizing Japanese culture healing hearts.

Marugame Uchiwa Production Process and Craftsmanship

Marugame Uchiwa are crafts where craftsmen’s delicate handwork dwells in all processes. The unique manufacturing method carving handle and ribs integrally from single bamboo is inherited only in Marugame among nationwide uchiwa production areas.

Splitting, bending, spreading bamboo, applying paper, drying, finishing – these processes reach approximately 47, all requiring skilled experience. Because mass production is difficult, subtle individuality and craftsmen’s breath dwell in each uchiwa.

Here, we’ll examine in detail three representative processes supporting Marugame Uchiwa-making from bamboo splitting to finishing.

Bamboo Splitting and Rib-Making – Creating Radial Beauty from Single Bamboo

Marugame Uchiwa production begins with material selection and bamboo splitting. Kagawa Prefecture-produced madake bamboo is used, with long internodes and rich elasticity considered optimal.

Craftsmen split vertically in uniform widths while assessing bamboo condition, creating parts becoming uchiwa ribs. This “splitting” work appears simple but requires skilled technique as finishing greatly changes with force application alone.

Split bamboo undergoes the “bending” process of bending while heating with fire, shaped into radially opening forms. Producing accurate angles and uniform intervals here leads to balancing beautiful framework and durability. From single bamboo, transforming into tools manipulating wind – this process is Marugame Uchiwa’s lifeline.

Paper Application and Drying – Unity Finished by Hand Sensation

Once bamboo ribs complete, next comes the Japanese paper or cloth application process. Used paper is Sanuki washi or Mino paper with excellent breathability, with craftsmen judging that day’s “condition” while observing paste concentration and temperature/humidity balance.

Tension when spreading paste thinly and uniformly and applying paper along rib radii influences finishing. Strong application causes warping, weak causes sagging, so craftsmen adjust optimal tension by fingertip sensation.

Applied uchiwa are naturally dried in humidity-controlled rooms, firmly adhering paper and bamboo. Rushing this drying process causes distortion, so careful drying takes overnight to several days. Paper application is the process creating uchiwa’s “face,” important work determining visual beauty and wind-flow comfort.

Finishing and Decoration Techniques – Final Process Combining Practicality and Beauty

Final finishing reinforces uchiwa edges and shapes handles. Edge-binding uses narrow paper called “heri-gami,” with impressions greatly changing by color and material combinations.

Next, “handle carving” processing the grip part with small knives is performed, finishing into hand-friendly shapes. When decoration is applied, diverse expressions including indigo dyeing and gold/silver leaf application are added.

Particularly in luxury items, there is “fufu” (wind cloth) with sheer fabric bonded to both front and back surfaces, with material transparency increasing coolness sensation and beautiful finishing as decorative items. Marugame Uchiwa completing all processes are masterpieces combining lightness, sturdiness, and artistry. As “wind crafts” accompanying users’ lives, their life is breathed into them.

Marugame Uchiwa Production Area and Regional Culture

Marugame Uchiwa is regional craft deeply rooted in Kagawa Prefecture Marugame City’s climate and people’s lives. Natural environment blessed with bamboo forests and the Seto Inland Sea’s mild climate have prepared optimal conditions for uchiwa-making.

Craftsmen’s skills and distribution systems continuing from the Edo period are supported throughout the town, still breathing today as residents’ pride. In Marugame City, efforts progress protecting traditional crafts from both regional industry and tourism resource perspectives, with craftsman experiences and bamboo craft-making incorporated into school education, preserving inheritance to next generations as local culture.

Uchiwa are not merely summer tools but “Marugame’s face” symbolizing regional history and human bonds.

Kagawa Prefecture Marugame City – “Uchiwa Village” Nurtured by Bamboo and Wind

Kagawa Prefecture Marugame City is a region with favorable location conditions for uchiwa-making. As sung “Iyo bamboo with Tosa paper affixed, waving brings supreme (Shikoku) coolness with Sanuki uchiwa,” bamboo necessary for uchiwa production comes from Ehime Prefecture, paper from Kochi Prefecture, and paste from Tokushima Prefecture, with geographical advantages of obtaining all materials nearby.

The Seto Inland Sea-facing warm climate promotes bamboo growth and suits drying and finishing processes. Currently in Marugame City, producing approximately 100 million annually, establishing position as an “uchiwa major production area” accounting for about 90% of production volume. Shikoku’s geographical advantages and long-cultivated technical accumulation continue supporting tradition.

Community-Wide Support System and Craftsman Networks

Behind Marugame Uchiwa’s long continuation lies community-wide support and cooperation systems. Within the city, division of labor is established including farmers performing bamboo cutting and material supply, rib-specialized craftsmen, and processors handling paper application and finishing.

This enables individual craftsmen to concentrate on their specialty fields, enabling high-quality product creation. Additionally, the Marugame Uchiwa Cooperative regularly holds exhibitions and workshops for technical inheritance and market expansion.

Putting energy into young people development, collaborative classes with local high schools and joint research with universities also progress. Craftsmen don’t compete with each other but operate as a “technical community” sharing regional pride, with this unity supporting Marugame Uchiwa’s sustainable development.

“Marugame Uchiwa Museum” and Tourism Collaboration Efforts

In Marugame City, efforts actively utilizing traditional crafts as tourism resources are also conducted. The central facility is the “Marugame Uchiwa Museum.” Reopened on March 25, 2023 within Nakatsu Banshoen Garden, the museum exhibits Edo-period old uchiwa and tools, with demonstrations and production experiences by craftsmen, bustling with tourists year-round.

Particularly “create your own uchiwa experience” is highly popular, with traditional craft masters and Marugame Uchiwa New Masters carefully teaching production methods. Additionally, production experiences are possible at “Uchiwa Workshop ‘Take’,” where time during production to drying can be used to enjoy Marugame Castle grounds strolling.

In 2023, “Marugame Uchiwa Festa 2023” was held commemorating museum relocation, entertaining local residents and tourists with diverse content including uchiwa production experiences, mystery-solving quiz rallies, and kitchen car appearances. Through such activities, Marugame Uchiwa realizes coexistence of industrial promotion and tourism promotion as regional culture symbol.

Marugame Uchiwa Museum Overview

• Address: 〒763-0054 25-1 Nakatsu-cho, Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture
• Phone: TEL: 0877-24-7055　FAX: 0877-43-6966
• Opening Hours: 9:30~17:00 (Admission until 16:30)
• Closed: Every Wednesday (following day if holiday) / Year-end/New Year (December 29-January 3)
• Admission: Free
• Parking: Approximately 15 passenger cars. For large buses, please consult in advance.
• Official Website: https://marugameuchiwa.jp/museum

Contemporary Value and International Expansion of Marugame Uchiwa

Marugame Uchiwa continues evolving in forms adapting to contemporary lifestyles and international markets while preserving tradition. Domestically, demand expands into interior and gift markets, while overseas it attracts attention as design items symbolizing Japanese culture.

Recently, re-evaluation as “sustainable crafts” progresses from SDGs and ethical consumption perspectives, with points using renewable materials bamboo and washi highly valued. Here, we introduce new craftsmen generations supporting Marugame Uchiwa’s contemporary value and international expansion trends.

Fusion of Tradition and Design – New Generation Craftsmen and Brand Strategy

Young craftsmen’s emergence incorporating contemporary sensibilities while inheriting traditional techniques brings new vitality to Marugame Uchiwa. For example, through collaborations with design units and interior brands, uchiwa with modern colors and graphics are born.

Within Marugame City, female craftsmen and designer-background makers are increasing, with attempts progressing combining new forms and materials with traditional bamboo-splitting techniques. Additionally, through the “Kagawa Uchiwa Brand Certification System,” products meeting certain quality standards are branded, with systems established for unified PR at overseas trade shows.

Such diverse communication power elevates Marugame Uchiwa into “evolving traditional crafts.”

Environmental Consideration and Shift to Sustainable Materials

Marugame Uchiwa also attracts attention as “sustainable crafts” appropriate for current times. Raw material bamboo grows quickly, is renewable resource, valued for low environmental burden.

Craftsmen complete everything from cutting to processing locally, building production systems minimizing transport energy. Furthermore, efforts progress minimizing adhesives so uchiwa can be disassembled and reused after use.

This existence as “circular products” never discarded receives high recognition in overseas markets, with increasing submissions to eco-design awards. Through sustainable manufacturing, Marugame Uchiwa enhances international presence as “earth-friendly traditional crafts.”

Rising Recognition at International Trade Shows and Gift Markets

Marugame Uchiwa is beginning to attract attention at overseas design trade shows. Particularly at France Paris’s world’s largest international interior trade show “Maison & Objet,” Kamikougei Yamada Co., Ltd. (Uchiwaya Ryo) exhibited for the first time in January 2024, continuing consecutive exhibition in January 2025, with simple, functional forms and natural material textures being valued.

Additionally, through FUNFAN exhibitions, 61 graphic designers from 22 countries overseas have participated since 2007, with Marugame Uchiwa exhibitions held in Italy, Taiwan, Czech Republic, America and others, contributing to international recognition improvement. Through JICA’s grassroots technical cooperation projects, uchiwa industry promotion support programs are implemented in Laos, progressing international cooperation through technology transfer.

Additionally, JTB embarked on overseas market development for Marugame Uchiwa produced in the 2022 “Sanuki Remix” project, with digital sales expansion revealing new possibilities connecting traditional crafts with global markets. Marugame Uchiwa now faces a new stage as “wind art” transmitted worldwide.

Conclusion

Marugame Uchiwa is four-hundred-year traditional craft that Kagawa Prefecture Marugame City is proud of, symbolizing functional beauty and warmth woven by bamboo and Japanese paper. Framework spreading radially from single bamboo is crystallization of skilled craftsmen’s techniques and aesthetic eyes, with 47 hand-finished processes embodying Japanese manufacturing spirit.

Recently, it has evolved in design and environmental consideration aspects, receiving high recognition as “sustainable crafts” in domestic and international markets. Uchiwa culture inherited with gentle winds blowing in Marugame continues spreading in new forms today, delivering “coolness and beauty” to people’s lives worldwide.