Tessenjutsu (鉄扇術) is the martial art of the Japanese war fan (tessen).
Several types of war fans were used by the samurai class of feudal Japan.
It is based on the use of the solid iron fan or the folding iron fan,
which usually had eight or ten wood or iron ribs.
The use of the war fan
in combat is mentioned in early Japanese legends. For example, Yoshitsune, a hero of Japanese legend, is said to have defeated an opponent named Benkei by parrying the blows of his opponent's spear with an iron fan. This use of the iron fan was taught to him by a mythological creature, a tengu, who also had instructed him in the art of swordsmanship.
The practitioners of tessenjutsu could acquire a high level of skill.
Tessenjutsu is still practiced by a few experts in Japan to this day.
Fans are also used in the Chinese and Korean martial arts.
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