Magic Fans
Legends of magic fans abound in the myths & legends of the Orient
The history of fans in China goes back to 3000 BC. The Chinese use the hand fan for art, ceremonies and court performances.
Traditional opera performers often reveal their inner characters by waving their fans.
In Japan, the fan is decorative, but is also used as musical instruments, serving trays, umbrellas and weapons. The tessen, or iron fan, is favoured by ninja. Not only are the points sharpened, but when closed, it becomes a small club, and when open it deflects flying missiles. The tessen is the perfect weapon when ninja are in disguise and do not want to be seen carrying a sword or staff.
The Buddhist gods Egisu and Hotie are depicted with fans. Egisu carries a folding fan and is the god of fishermen and good fortune.
Hotie is the god of contentment and happiness and holds an oogi (fan).
There are many Eastern tales of magic fans. One of China's most famous magic fans belongs to the Iron Fan Princes. While travelling through the Himalayas to India, the legendary Monkey King is blocked by the Flaming Mountain. The only way he can get through is with the princess's indestructible fan.
In the legendary Chinese Red Sand Battle, Hsieng-weng fans away burning hot sand his enemy throws at him with his magic Five-fire Seven-feathers Fan.
The Taoist T’ien-shih gives four spirits who seek revenge upon him for murdering them each a magic gift, one of which is a fan that with one simple wave can cause wicked people to have feverish chills.
Armed with a magic fan, Yang Jên pursues Lü Yüeh and compels him to retreat to his fortress. Lü Yüeh mounts the embattlment wall and opens all his plague-disseminating umbrellas. Yang Jên simply waves his fan and reduces all the umbrellas to dust. He also burns the fort and Lü Yüeh along with it.
Three Japanese Tengu (goblin) children with very long noses are playing with their magic fan which allows their noses to shrink or grow when they wave it. When a shapeshifing badger sees the fun they're having with the fan, he transorms himself into a girl with a plate of four bean jam buns and tempts them to drop the fan, then steals it and runs away.
One fine night in Japan, as the moon rises over the sea, a magic fan floats in the waves. A carpenter boy finds it and it changes his life forever.
Sources
• Myths and Legends of China
• Anime-myth.com
• Japanese Buddhist Statuary
• Myths and Legends of Japan
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Posted Oct 24, 2006 - 08:58 , Last Edited: Oct 25, 2006 - 18:35
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