Tessen
鉄扇 · tessen
Literally: iron fan
A Japanese war fan with iron outer ribs, or a solid iron bar shaped like a closed fan, which a samurai could carry even where a sword was forbidden.
Quick Facts
JapanAbout the weapon
The tessen (鉄扇, "iron fan") is a Japanese hand fan that served as a weapon or for giving signals. It differs from the lighter gunsen fan, with which warriors cooled themselves, and from the large solid gunbai fan of high-ranking commanders. It existed in two forms: as a folding fan with outer ribs of heavy iron plates, which looked like an ordinary fan, or as a solid bar shaped like a closed fan. Thanks to its inconspicuous appearance, samurai could carry it even where swords and other visible weapons were forbidden. The tessen was used to deflect knives and throwing darts, could be thrown, and also served as an aid in swimming. A commander gave orders to soldiers by raising, lowering and pointing the fan. The art of fighting with the war fan is called tessenjutsu; the Yagyū clan, sword instructors to the Tokugawa shoguns, included it in their school's curriculum. A number of stories are attached to the tessen. Araki Murashige is said to have blocked a sliding door with one when Oda Nobunaga tried to have him assassinated. At the Battle of Kawanakajima, Takeda Shingen reportedly deflected a sword cut from Uesugi Kenshin with one, and, by tradition, Minamoto no Yoshitsune defeated the warrior monk Benkei with one.