The invention of the folding-fan has already been referred to. Its earliest form is the Kōmori (bat), so named from the supposition of the wing of this animal suggesting the principle of its construction. It is formed of fifteen bamboo sticks having a slight re-divergence springing from the handle end, so that when held closed in the hand as it is by courtiers while fulfilling the office of fan-bearing, it still appears open. It is stated that this spread-out form was adopted as court-fan on account of the misuse of the dagger-fan. The mount is of paper, which may be painted with any design in any colour except the unlucky green and light purple. [Illustration: Suye hiro ogi. open & closed, decorated with crests on a gold ground. Mr W. Harding Smith] One of the many traditions of its invention may be given. It is attributed to a fan-maker of the Tenji period, 668-672, whose name is forgotten, living at Tamba near Kyoto. He was married to a shrew, and on a certain night a bat having found its way into the sleeping-room, the woman reviled her husband for not getting up to throw the vampire out. The animal coming in contact with the lamp, scorched its wings and fell to the floor. As the man picked it up, the opening of the creature’s wings suggested to him the principle of a folding-fan that might be carried in one’s sleeve.[48] The Suye hiro ogi (wide end) has a similar divergence to the foregoing, with the addition of a slight curve or rounding of the outward sticks. It was used for the dances in the Nō drama; the number of sticks varying from fifteen to twenty-five. This also dates from the seventh century. The example illustrated is decorated with a series of crests of various families on a gold ground. In a drawing by Bun-chin, nineteenth century, British Museum, 891, of Performers in the ‘Nō’ Theatre, is represented a beautiful fan of a peacock with outspread tail and branches of bamboo, in gold, blue, and green. This fan is of the ordinary shape. The Akomé ogi is the earlier court-fan, and dates from the invention of the folding-fan in the seventh century. It consists of thirty-eight blades of wood painted white, decorated with cherry, pine, plum, or chrysanthemum, on a ground of gold and silver powder, ‘among the mist.’ The fan is ornamented at the corners with an arrangement of artificial flowers in silk, with twelve long streamers of different coloured silks; the rivet is formed of either a bird or butterfly. This type of fan was in use by the court ladies until 1868. By the courtesy of Mr. W. Crewdson we are enabled to reproduce one of these rare fans, bearing the following inscription:— ‘The decorations at the end of this Akomé-ogi show that it was used by a court lady. At Kioto, the Mikado’s Palace had Lemon trees at the right-hand side of the entrance and Cherry trees at the left; hence these ornaments composed of Cherry flowers and Pine knots.’