JUDIT KAWAGUCHI

Keiko Sumi, 57, is the 10th-generation owner of Komaruya, a Kyoto-based company that produces traditional and modern handheld fans. Komaruya's fans were selected by Dentsu, Japan's largest advertising company, to represent the best in Japanese craftsmanship at the 2005 Aichi World Expo. According to written records, Komaruya has been selling fans as souvenirs — the first company to do so — since 1624 , later providing dancers and geisha not only with fans but also with the hundreds of accessories needed for a performance, from hair ornaments and flowers that decorate the stage to swords and tobacco holders. As the last remaining fanmaker in Japan with a team of inhouse artists, Sumi is famous as a protector of Japanese artisans and a designer of exquisite fans.

To create a simple object, it is best to have a great team. It takes the efforts of eight craftsmen to make a single fan, since each step is delegated to a professional in that field. The framemaker cuts the bamboo stick that forms the structure of the fan. Next it is passed to a second artisan who puts handmade paper on it. A third person adds string, another colors, the next adds gold leaf, then a painter adds scenery, another background images and the final one folds it. Then the fan is ready to be opened.

Every small step — regardless of the direction — can take you where you want to go. In order to design beautiful fans, I climb mountains that are filled with strong spirits. I get blessings and inspiration from nature, especially in the environments my grandparents and great-grandparents used to visit. I feel connected to them, which gives me energy to keep moving.