Bashoshi paper, made in Okinawa, is precisely pasted to a bamboo frame supplied by traditional uchiwa (Japanese fan) maker Kurikawa Shoten.
Bashoshi is categorized as one of the types of ryukyushi paper which is a paper unique to the culture of Okinawa and was first produced during the Ryukyu Kingdom era.
You can enjoy the bashoshi paper’s unique texture and its development as it ages.

Traditionally, fans were used not only as a tool for cooling but also for rituals in Japan. This small sized fan is called bussen.
In Buddhist belief, it is considered bad manners to extinguish a candle light by blowing with one’s breath and this special fan was intended as a candle fire extinguisher.

This original uchiwa (a Japanese fan) is made of bashoshi paper from Okinawa. The bashoshi is precisely pasted to a bamboo frame that comes from traditional uchiwa makers.
Bashoshi paper is categorized as one of the types of ryukyushi paper, which is a paper unique to the culture of Okinawa and was first produced during the Ryukyu kingdom era.
The design is inspired by the fan found in the hand of miruku kami, the god of prosperity in Okinawan mythology.
Its minimal design and bamboo structure serve to enhance the unique texture of bashoshi paper even more.

Bingata artist Yusuke Yokoi has made bingata dye for 40 years. He applies the bingata on bashoshi paper that craftsmen in Kyoto then make into a folding fan.
Bingata is a traditional stencil dye technique unique to Okinawa and represents one of the main traditional crafts of Okinawa.
Because of the distinctive and uneven texture of bashoshi paper, it takes more time and patience to apply the dye when compared to traditional Japanese washi paper.
This is a rare work by a master of bingata applied to bashoshi paper.

This is a goshuincho stamp book. Yusuke Yokoi, a master bingata artist applied bingata dye on the cover that is made of bashoshi paper.
Bashoshi is made of ito-basho pulp, which is considered a sacred plant of Okinawa.
Goshuincho is a special book for collecting stamps from visits to buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.
Natural starch glue is used to reinforce the durability of the bashoshi cover, which is also padded with cotton to create a sophisticated book.
Each page is made of a fine quality washi paper handmade of kozo (a paper mulberry) pulp in Saitama prefecture.