Antique Japanese gunbai, war fan belonging to a high ranking samurai officer. Made of lacquered wood with shell inlay and with 2 large cut outs. This fan would have been used to shade from the sun and to signal troops. Though this shape of fan was not used as a weapon, it could have come in very handy in battle and there are legends of samurai heroes fighting with nothing but their war fans. The art of fighting with a war fan is called tessenjutsu. This fan comes with a custom metal stand.

Age: Edo Period (1603-1867)

Dimensions: 18 3/4" long x 9 1/4" wide x 3/4" thick. (24" high when on stand)