With the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, Japan is destined to become the talk of the people after dinner during this period. So, today we are going to talk about something related to Japanese women, something related to Japanese culture: paper folding fans.
In fact, many of the women in the Japanese imperial family wear kimonos less and less, and when they attend important events, most of them wear a dress and a crown on the outside.
At the same time, they will hold a paper folding fan in their hands, even if they are carrying a bag in their hands, this small fan must be held in their hands.
It is understandable not to say that the kimono is about the changing times, and Japan has always been known for its integration with Europe.
Therefore, wearing a dress without a kimono, wearing a crown, that is a proper international route.
In fact, on some major events in Japan, the Japanese imperial family still pays great attention to kimonos.
There is no way, after all, this is the rule left by the ancestors, if this rule is really lost, then the royal family will not exist.
Usually, when members of the Japanese Imperial Family participate in ceremonies, enthronement, and blessings, women and men usually wear kimonos.
This is something that can't be changed in their bones, otherwise they may feel that they have no foundation.
For example, when Emperor Akihito ascended the throne, Michiko wore a very formal kimono: Twelve Dan.
It is said that this is the most traditional Japanese kimono, weighing up to 30 pounds all over the body and wearing it throughout the ceremony.
This is not something that ordinary physique can accomplish, and Michiko is still quite good.
But kimonos are easy to understand, so what's going on with the little fan in their hands? I haven't seen European royal women holding small fans!
This is a bit of a cultural sense, although now the Japanese royal women are dressed up, but people implement it well, up to the old lady, down to the little girl, everyone is not timid.
Originally, this small fan was called "Washi fan" in Japan, and it was originally a set of Japanese kimonos.
At the same time, in addition to wearing kimonos and taking and fanning, women also have to wear belts, bags, and clogs. Well, this seems to see a standard of traditional Japanese women as we understand it.
This set of kimonos has a long history in Japan, originating in the Meiji period, that is, in 1868.
And the fan? It has a much older history than kimono, appearing in Japan during the Heian period, in 794 AD.
In this way, the small folding fan is really eye-catching.
So, what is the origin of this little fan?
Japan has always been influenced by our culture at that time, and Japanese people will naturally learn from our culture when they dress.
In the Nara period of Japan, the Japanese began to admire Tang costumes. No way, the Tang Dynasty was too powerful in that era, enough to affect the trend of the world.
As a result, both men and women in Japan will choose to wear Tang costumes in public.
At the same time, the Japanese will also learn the image of Tang Dynasty officials holding a wat board, especially the aristocratic class, who will hold a wat board when they go out, regardless of gender.
This cultural imitation is a bit of a magic ha, anyway, learn four different.
Later, in the Heian period of Japan, they distinguished between men and women.
At the beginning of this period, men still held wat boards, but women changed and changed to holding juniper fans.
What is a juniper fan? It is a fan made of hinoki and fir sheets strung together, and its head end is made of metal, and the tail end is strung with leather rope or silk thread.
Usually, the juniper fan is 5-8 pieces. But if the status is precious, the number of juniper fans will increase by 3-5 pieces, and they will be called triple or five-fold fans.
In a word, the fan was an ornament that everyone in Japan could use at that time, but the identity was different, and the number of films was different, and the more noble the person, the more the number of films.
Therefore, most of the Japanese imperial women at that time would hold juniper fans that were exquisitely crafted and surpassed the number of folk calculations, wear kimonos, wear gloves, and hold a fan that symbolizes status and status.
It is like a business card, as long as people see the fan, they can often know what the identity of this person is.
However, it is also said that the Japanese juniper fan did not actually come from the imitation of the Tang Dynasty wat board, but evolved from the Chinese pamphlet.
But either way, we must admit that the origin of Japanese folding fans is due to the influence of our culture.
However, with the change of the times, the juniper fan quietly changed, and later, the women of the Japanese imperial family could only use the paper folding fan under the general trend.
This small fan has undergone various reforms and changes from the initial board, to the later pieces of wood, and then to the paper folding fan.
But it is certainly not for fanning, people represent Japanese culture, like the soul of kimono. If you don't wear a kimono without a folding fan, it's a bit of a feeling of indifference.
In particular, in 1947, the Japanese imperial family had undergone many revisions, and finally abolished the old imperial model rules, and the excessively luxurious and cumbersome dress was banned.
In line with the idea of connecting with Europe, they revised the royal rules: only a small dress was worn on formal occasions, and in the big events of the royal family, only the middle dress was worn, such as when Michiko got married, she only wore the middle dress.
But by the time Empress Masako got married, the female royals attending the wedding were already dressed in Western-style dresses.
It is said that among the Japanese imperial family, Empress Shoken was the first in Japan to wear a dress and also held a paper folding fan in her hand.
However, even though the Japanese imperial family made up its mind to connect with Europe, put on the crown, and put on the dress, the small fan in his hand was never thrown away.
It is also quite sad to say that the only symbol left in the entire Japanese imperial family to this day is this fan.
If the royal woman did not take this fan when she went out, I am afraid that she would stand in any circle of people, and people would not be able to distinguish her identity, nor would they know who the members of the Japanese imperial family were.
Of course, although the women of the Japanese imperial family wear dresses, they are still different from European dresses, which are mostly styles with high necklines, long hems, and no skin.
The so-called conservative nation, even after many dynasties of change, some things can not be discarded.
Knowing this small folding fan in the hands of female members of the Japanese imperial family, we will definitely feel a little, when Japan worshipped the Tang Dynasty, so the things advocated became the mainstream of their own culture.
Now, the Japanese imperial family has marched towards the European crown and dress, and I don't know what their royal family will have left in a few years?