Japanese Iron Fan--Tessen

[pgsmith]

Have to throw my two cents worth in ... My personal belief is that the open fan idea came about due to kenbu, traditional Japanese sword dancing. I know there are a couple of Japanese sword arts lines that still perform kenbu. I also know that there are a number of kenbu that utilize an open fan. It seems to me that at some point, people saw a kenbu performance and mistook it for kata, then went on to incorporate this "traditional Japanese fan art " into their practice.

Here's an interesting article on traditional kenbu at EJMAS ... The Fan and the Sword

 

[Chris Parker]

Hey, Paul,

Yeah, I'm familiar with kenbu forms using open fans, however I think it's a bit of a stretch to think that's where these systems get their ideas on usage from… if I'm to be blunt, I'd be incredibly shocked that any of these non-traditional "traditional" systems teaching open fan use are even aware that kenbu exists, let alone be using it to base training and combative methods on. I mean, just look at the Junsei Ryu clip I posted… Taran's a lovely guy, by all accounts, but sadly rather clueless when it comes to pretty much anything to do with Japanese arts (despite the belief that what he's doing is helping "preserve the traditions"… how he can do that after having exactly no exposure to them, I have no idea…), traditional, martial, or anything else… and this is the most common form of "open fan" system around (in a "Japanese" sense, at least).

 

[pgsmith]

Hey Chris,
I'm saying that they most likely aren't aware that kenbu exists. I would bet that there are probably a number of kenbu videos available on the internet if you search for something like "Japanese fan" (I can't test that theory because I'm at work, no videos). To someone that has no idea that kenbu exists, this would look just like a traditional kata performed with a sword and an open fan. That's where I think they get the idea of using an open fan in Japanese arts from.

Of course, that's just my theory. It appeals to me much more than the idea that people have invented stuff out of blank canvas just because they felt like it.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

It is an interesting theory Paul.

 

[Chris Parker]

Hey Chris,
I'm saying that they most likely aren't aware that kenbu exists. I would bet that there are probably a number of kenbu videos available on the internet if you search for something like "Japanese fan" (I can't test that theory because I'm at work, no videos). To someone that has no idea that kenbu exists, this would look just like a traditional kata performed with a sword and an open fan. That's where I think they get the idea of using an open fan in Japanese arts from.

Of course, that's just my theory. It appeals to me much more than the idea that people have invented stuff out of blank canvas just because they felt like it.

Yeah… again, I get where you're coming from, but I don't see it myself. For one thing, most of these systems' usage of their take on tessen predate the major advent of the internet… for another, there really isn't much seen online for kenbu, particularly if you're looking for fan methods. I agree that it can look a lot like a kata, especially if you're only familiar with Okinawan/karate methods… however, I honestly don't think there was any exposure to kenbu at all, understood or otherwise.

 

[pgsmith]

Yeah… again, I get where you're coming from, but I don't see it myself. For one thing, most of these systems' usage of their take on tessen predate the major advent of the internet… for another, there really isn't much seen online for kenbu, particularly if you're looking for fan methods. I agree that it can look a lot like a kata, especially if you're only familiar with Okinawan/karate methods… however, I honestly don't think there was any exposure to kenbu at all, understood or otherwise.

You could be correct as I have no idea when any of these groups began implementing the use of open fans in their arts. However, I find it hard to believe that these groups that are now teaching that the Japanese traditionally used an open fan in either an offensive or defensive manner simply all made it up.

While it could be due to Chinese influences, I don't see how that would allow them to transpose that onto the traditional Japanese arts. It seems to me that they got the idea that fans were used this way traditionally in Japan from somewhere, and kenbu is the only thing I can think of that would allow them to make that connection.

Where do you suppose the connection between open fans and traditional Japanese arts came from, since it doesn't happen within any of the arts that I am familiar with?

 

[Chris Parker]

Hey Paul,

Sorry, been away for a bit…

Honestly, I really do genuinely think that they just made up what they thought it was meant to be like, without any actual research, checking, cross-referencing, or anything of the like. Realistically, the path is quite simple… they see a fan… hear that it's meant to be a "weapon"… realise that a fan is designed to open (which allows it to function as a fan), so try to come up with a way to use it "open". There really doesn't need to be any further development of the idea… in fact, not using it open would make less sense in that construct, as it would be logical to think that the reason you use a fan, as opposed to just a short stick, is because it opens. After all, there isn't really a connection between open fans and traditional Japanese arts… there's a connection between open fans and pseudo-traditional pseudo-Japanese arts… which is quite different.