A sculptural palm leaf fan from Yonaguni Island, Okinawa — made by hand from the leaf of the Kuba palm.
More than a summer fan, this piece feels like a quiet object of island life: functional, natural, and almost architectural in form. The folded palm leaf opens into a soft fan shape, creating a beautiful rhythm of lines, shadows, and texture.
It can be used as a fan, but it is equally beautiful as an interior object — placed on a chair, displayed on a shelf, or hung on a wall like a natural art piece.
Kuba palm has long been used in Okinawan daily life for tools, ritual objects, roofing, baskets, brooms, and fans. In the Ryukyu Islands, it has also been regarded as a sacred tree connected to places where deities descend.
This fan is made by Yonaha Mingu, a folk craft maker preserving the handcraft culture of Yonaguni Island, the westernmost island of Japan.
Each piece is made from a natural leaf, dried, soaked, opened like an accordion, shaped by hand, and finished with a small cord at the handle. The result is light, practical, and quietly sculptural.
Details
• Maker: Yonaha Mingu
• Item: Kuba palm leaf fan
• Size: approx. 370 × 330 × 10 mm
• Handle: approx. 40 mm
• Cord: approx. 50 mm
• Weight: approx. 30 g
• Material: Natural Kuba palm leaf
• Made in Japan / Yonaguni Island, Okinawa
Please note
Each fan is handmade from natural leaves. Color, shape, size, edge texture, and surface marks will vary from piece to piece. These natural differences are part of the beauty of this natural folk object.
