Japanese Paper Fan

Hi All!

I was given this fan as a child by my grandfather. According to Google Translate the language is Japanese, which would make sense since he was stationed in the Navy over there. Just curious if there's anything to it besides a random tourist fan he picked up and brought home. Any suggestions for how I could find info about it or if someone can already tell it's mass produced tourist fan? Thanks!

 

The image is a rough copy of a work by Hiroshige which is part of his 'Fifty-three Stations of Tokaido' series. Here's the original woodblock.

Debora

 

It is indeed a mass-produced fan. Not just for tourists, but also for the local market, just like many people around the world use fans on hot days.
The frame is bamboo.

In general, when showing a fan it is best to show it all the way open, and also include a photo of it completely closed with both the folded leaf and the sides of the guard sticks showing.

In this case the photo of it closed would help identify if the fan was made in Japan, or made in China for the Japanese market.