Corporate gifts & anniversary pieces
The fan and the leather are both made by Tokyo artisans.
A piece where the Edo fan craft meets the leather craft of the old city —
for anniversaries and for gifts carried overseas.
EDO SENSU / Edogawa, Tokyo
Hiroshi Matsui — Edo fan workshop “Matsui”
He has made fans since 1963, and is a registered holder of an Intangible Cultural Property designated by Edogawa City, Tokyo, and a Tokyo Meister. An Edo fan has fewer ribs than a Kyoto fan, and each one is thicker. The clear snap you hear when it closes exists only because it is built this way. Very few artisans still make Edo fans; his eldest son, Tomoya, is training to inherit the craft.
KATSUSHIKA LEATHER / Sumida & Edo rivers
Katsushika Leather
Both banks of the Sumida and Edo rivers have been leather country for generations: hides tanned on one side, shoes and bags made on the other. Katsushika Leather is known for the distinctive depth and lustre it draws out by scorching wax into the hide — an original blend, re-mixed for each season and worked in by hand.
The fan, and the leather, both from Tokyo.
This piece is made by Tokyo artisans alone.
“We can’t do that here.”
Every factory turned it down.
To face a fan with leather, the hide has to be shaved as thin as paper. The leather used here is roughly 0.3 mm. For comparison, the leather in a wallet is usually around 1 mm — which gives a sense of how thin this is.
Run it through the machine and the smallest vibration can push the blade off line, and the machine itself may be destroyed. So no one wants the job, and most say it cannot be done. Leather is not an industrial product either — the thickness is never even, so it takes skill to correct that difference by feel while the hide is being shaved.
This, then, is not simply “a fan made from an unusual material.” It is a fan that exists only because an artisan agreed to take on work that no factory wanted.
Shaving the leather, at the leather artisan’s workshop
For anniversaries, commemorations and celebrations. Not a gift that gets put away in a drawer — one that is used, and remembered while it is used.
As a symbol of Japanese culture, a fan speaks across languages. It is often chosen as a gift for guests and partners from overseas.
You can explain why you chose it — to your own team and to the person receiving it. It is made by Tokyo artisans alone, and it comes with a story.
A tool that moves air and needs no electricity. Practical and environmentally sound — a gift that suits the present day.
Company names and logos applied to the outer ribs or the case, by laser engraving or foil stamping.
Maki-e (gold lacquer painting), gold leaf and hand carving can all be discussed for the outer ribs.
Corporate colours, your own artwork, or alternative fan-face materials such as washi paper, cloth and kimono fabric.
Covered gift boxes, paulownia wood boxes and leather cases. Packaging can be personalised too.
| Quantity | From a single piece. Larger quantities are welcome — please ask. |
|---|---|
| Lead time | Made to order, so roughly one to two months from the order, varying with quantity and specification. If you are working to a fixed date such as an anniversary, please allow extra time. |
| Price | From 27,500 JPY per piece (tax incl.). Quoted individually according to engraving, decoration, packaging and quantity. |
| Options | 6 leather colours for the front of the fan face / 6 traditional patterns for the reverse / decorative work on the outer ribs / 3 packaging types (covered box, paulownia box, leather case) |
| Personalisation | Laser engraving or foil stamping on the outer ribs or the packaging — company name, logo, anniversary year, a message. |
| Wrapping | Gift wrapping, traditional noshi ceremonial paper and message cards are available. We can also enclose a card introducing the artisans who made the piece. |
| Payment | Bank transfer, and we can invoice. |
| Orders from outside Japan | Please email us. We will confirm shipping, payment and any customs charges for your country before you commit to anything. |
Quotes vary with quantity and specification. If you have a budget in mind, tell us and we will propose within it.
Please start with an enquiry — there is no obligation.
For corporate gifts and commemorative pieces,
please get in touch.
We reply in English, usually within two business days.