Description

The gunbai (gunbai-uchiwa) is a type of signal baton and Japanese war fan. Once held by military leaders (such as daimyō) and priests in the past, it is used in the modern day by umpires in sumo wrestling. Lacquered in black with swirling clouds, and moon with sun shown on both sides.
Gunbai, from the Sino-Japanese roots meaning “military-apportioned [fan]”, were a specialized form of fan used by samurai officers in Japan to communicate commands to their troops. Unlike regular fans, gunbai were solid, not folding

Age: Edo period C. early 1780’s

29″ high x 11″ wide