Robert Miller

The Iron Fan



Posted: Wednesday, December 09, 2009

by Robert Miller
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000445355839

The tessen was an iron fan that sometimes could actually be used as a hand fan or was just made to resemble one. Given the high cost of making these items they were typically just for the noble class. Now many Samurai warriors would always have one with them and they were experts in the ability to protect themselves from attack until they could subdue their opponent or draw their sword.

There is a story of a Japanese official that served under Lord Oda Nobunaga that managed to save his life by placing his tessen on the floor in front him when he was summoned to see Lord Nobunaga. History has shown that Oda Nobunaga was a very severe ruler in fuedal Japan in the late 1500's. Most infractions no matter how small usually ended with a severe punishment. So it was with great concern when Akira Murashige was summoned to see his lord for some fault. As the story goes it was planned that Murashige would be in one room next to the room that lord Nobunaga would sit in, and as he would kneel and bow (with his head between to solid wood doors that seperated the rooms) Nobunaga's retainers would slam the doors shut and crush his neck. What happened was almost unbelieveable. As Murashige began to kneel and bow to his lord, he set his tessen in the groove of the doors. When the retainers slammed the doors shut they bounced harmlessly off of the tessen thus saving his life. When he sat back up and acted as though nothing happened Nobunaga spared the official from any more penalty and dismissed the charge.

So this shows that the tessen was more then just a decoration or a weapon. Something so simple as an iron fan was very versatile.

http://thejapanesesword.blogspot.com/

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