Uchiwá-e

From the end of the 18th century, within the popular Ukiyo-e school of printmaking, a print format appeared, technically produced by polychrome woodcuts, to economically produce paper fan countries. These prints are called uchiwa-e, that is, rigid fan prints. Uchiwa is the Japanese term for the non-folding fan, which in Spain, due to Philippine influence, we call pai-pai. This type of fan has been documented in Japan since the 5th century AD, when it arrived from China. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333) the Uchiwa changed their rectangular design for the current rounded one. The decoration of the fans was done by prominent painters on silk surfaces. From the Edo period (1615-1868) onwards, we find the mark of the great masters of ukiyo-e printmaking, such as the famous Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). The ukiyo-e artists produced this type of work, specifically designed to be printed, cut out and glued on a light bamboo frame. Landscapes, genre scenes, beautiful women or famous Kabuki actors were the most frequent subjects in these fans.The author of this uchiwa-e is less well known, Gyokuei, who worked during the first decade of the 20th century. Gyokuei specialized in landscapes adapted to the fan format. This fan country presents a variegated layering of scenes in a sparse range of blues and pinks. On a vegetal background with some chrysanthemums (kiku) appears, on the left, a gallant scene with a bow to a geisha. On the other side, on the right, we find a coastal landscape. And, finally, in the upper part, a pond is represented with goldfish or kingyo. / Bibliography: ALMAZÁN TOMÁS, D.: “Uchiwá-e. Meiji Period (1868-1912), early twentieth century. Japan”, in LÓPEZ GUZMÁN, R.; RUIZ GUTIÉRREZ, A.; SORROCHE CUERVA, M.A. (Scientific Coord.): Oriente en Granada (Exhibition Catalogue). Granada, 2008, pp.: 66-67.