Fans

[DWx]

Well when they are flicked open, they become liked a curved blade and when they are closed they can used as a knife like weapon.

I did find this video a while ago, while not very fast it does show some possible applications:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TJk7LfFmayo

[Athena]

Not very practical at all, as the only real reason that they had them was because they could be concealed as a regular item since it was common for someone to have a fan and it didn't look suspicious (I was reading the account of a famous samurai named fukushima who wrote of his friends getting a fan that concealed a knife during the violent period before the Meiji restoration). To be frank though, I don't ever see why you'd want a weapon fan over a knife, sword, stick, staff, or even a gun. The time it takes to unfold it gives you a disadvantage over an edged weapon like a knife or sword (and swords can't be carried these days, so they aren't practical for defense either), and there are much better choices for baton type weapons. It doesn't have a place in the world today, and even back when you might have been able to use it, if you were using a fan over or sword you'd be in trouble.

you sort of got a point (sword over fan) ..but...i'll tell you now..if your skilled with it...unfolding a fan doesn't take much longer then pulling a knife out of your pocket >.> in fact, it can be faster XD

[DWx]

Not very practical at all, as the only real reason that they had them was because they could be concealed as a regular item since it was common for someone to have a fan and it didn't look suspicious (I was reading the account of a famous samurai named fukushima who wrote of his friends getting a fan that concealed a knife during the violent period before the Meiji restoration). To be frank though, I don't ever see why you'd want a weapon fan over a knife, sword, stick, staff, or even a gun. The time it takes to unfold it gives you a disadvantage over an edged weapon like a knife or sword (and swords can't be carried these days, so they aren't practical for defense either), and there are much better choices for baton type weapons. It doesn't have a place in the world today, and even back when you might have been able to use it, if you were using a fan over or sword you'd be in trouble.

you sort of got a point (sword over fan) ..but...i'll tell you now..if your skilled with it...unfolding a fan doesn't take much longer then pulling a knife out of your pocket >.> in fact, it can be faster XD

And when they are opened its in a slicing action

[bushido_man96]

They way it looked, I think you might be better off training with a short stick, or something of the like.

When it is opened, I am not sure what you would do with the applications. Now, if it was metal, then I could see.

[SBN Doug]

Yeah, but a baton isn't going to help on a hot day with no AC.

Anywho, I began training with fans after 3rd degree. They could be used today, and with a lot less legal implications than carrying a knife or even baton.

Yes, they are occasionally used as a distraction, but also as a true weapon. Though most are made of wood, they are excellent for deflecting attacks (not so much for a full block). Yes, the edge when open could be used for minor cuts, but the true cutting action was developed when blades were concealed at the end of each spine. Also, when closed the "butt" of the spines are routinely used to strike vital points around the body. There is some "slapping" or "clubbing" actions as well, but they are usually to soft tissue areas, and aren't expected to be a single blow take down.

[cross]

How many people carry a fan with them everywhere they go and practice drawing it from a concealed location in their normal clothes under high stress situations?

[Clash]

About as many as can carry a knife or a pair of brass knuckles

[cross]

About as many as can carry a knife or a pair of brass knuckles

What information are you basing that statment on?

Taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3244709.stm :

"Evidence shows knife seizures are on the increase. The number of people convicted of carrying a blade in public rose from 2,559 in 1995 to 3,570 in 2000, according to the Home Office."

Taken from http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000053AB.htm :

"1 in 3 Glasgow teenagers carry knives'"

So wheres the fan data?

[Clash]

No what I'm simply saying is you asked how many people can carry a fan in a concealed location. I'm saying its possible for anyone with the intent of doing it. Considering most fans of this type I've ever seen in person are normally only a few inches longer than a butter fly knife. I would say that in all honesty putting a fan in your purse or in a pocket of your jacket isn't that hard.

[cross]

No what I'm simply saying is you asked how many people can carry a fan in a concealed location. I'm saying its possible for anyone with the intent of doing it. Considering most fans of this type I've ever seen in person are normally only a few inches longer than a butter fly knife. I would say that in all honesty putting a fan in your purse or in a pocket of your jacket isn't that hard.

Sure, its possible, everyone could carry around extendable batons also. But the weapon of choice on the street these days is a blade of some variety, not a fan. And unless a martial artist is carrying his fan all the time then training it for self defense purposes is pointless.