Making of the fan ribs, Kyō-sensu

The making of the fan ribs. Bamboo strips with impurities removed are thinning cut to the desired width and length, then shaved to even thickness to create the basic frame. Me’ana holes for linking the ribs are drilled using a special tool called maigiri. The ribs are next shaped into the basic frame. A skewer is put through the me’ana holes, pieces some hundreds of ribs together, which are then soaked in water for 2-3 days until they become soft. After this comes the atetsuke step, which involves the shaping of the ribs using a specially shaped knife called wakikaki to shave the surface of the dampened ribs. The green part of the bamboo is removed and the ribs are set to dry in the sun, after which they are polished using boar tusk. Next, the ribs are dyed and decorative lacquer or carving is added.