The Bamboo Fighting Fan was an accessory customarily carried in the hands or tucked in the obi (belt), especially in ceremonial dress.
The folding fan also played a significant role in Japanese etiquette, especially on formal occasions, and was rarely ever out of a samurai's possession.
The tessen, literally "iron fan," was either a folding fan with metal ribs or a non-folding solid bar shaped like a folded fan.
The forerunner of the tessen, the gunbei-uchiwa was a solid, roundish fan used by officers to signal their troops on the battlefield.
Later, the gunsen, or folding war fan, was frequently carried by bushi in armor and used as a weapon of both attack and defense.
Later generations were more likely to carry a tessen, which like the folding fan, usually had eight to ten metal ribs and could be worn with everyday attire. The solid tessen, forged to look like a closed fan, was more durable and became the more popular type among the samurai.