Gunbai UchiwaWar fanEdo period, 18th centuryLacquered wood and metal fittingsLength: 55 cmThe various implements used by samurai commanders to signal orders on the battered field or to direct troop movements were referred to as jineigu. Among them, the gunbai uchiwa, a fixed fan, was the equipment that was used by generals and daimyō and hence became a symbol of power.The flat part is decorated on one side with the character “hart” (心) and a crescent moon, while on the other there is the character ”vantage” (利), a bonji of the rooster (Chinese...