Red Fan

A still life depicting a Japanese fan—either a folding sensu or the rigid round uchiwa—rendered in vermillion or crimson tones. Fans recur as a motif in Senpan's still life work, appearing as objects valued both functionally and aesthetically in Japanese domestic life. As a [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) artist, Senpan would have cut the blocks himself; a print of this title typically pivots on a single dominant red color block defining the fan's body, paired with a [sumi](/glossary/sumi) key block describing structure: fan ribs, bamboo handle, any decorative pattern across the paper face. The 'red' indicates a saturated solid plane characteristic of Senpan's mature style, which favored bold flat color over modeling. The fan as subject relates to his interest in seasonal domestic life—uchiwa being summer objects associated with cooling, festivals, and outdoor leisure. Distinct from traditional fan-shaped uchiwa-e prints made for actual mounting on fan frames, Senpan's fan prints are pictures of fans, treating the object as still-life subject.