Buchae (부채) is the word used for traditional Korean Fans. Buchae is a pure Korean word, consisting of bu (부) meaning “move air” and chae (채) meaning “a tool”. (x) The face of Buchae, seems to be a flat circular fan, painted with a Sam Taeguk (삼태극). A good example of this is the fan from the Joseon dynasty shown above. When you search “traditional Korean fans to buy” on the internet, these are the fans that show up. However, many different styles of Buchae were made and used in Ancient Korea, often catering to different occasions and availability of materials.

The Sam Taeguk is a traditional Korean symbol; the yellow represents humanity, the red represents the earth, and the blue represents the heavens. It is an often used symbol, with a two-colored Taeguk appearing in the center of the Korean flag. (x)

One material used was feathers. “Plumage fans can be divided into different types according to the kind of a bird and the color of the feathers, like fans made from the tail feathers of male pheasants, their body feathers, or those of owls or peacocks.” Fabric was another material used, with hemp or silk being popular choices. You could further categorize silk fans by “those with and without embroidery.” (x)

In the eighth century of Korea, during the Unified Silla period (676-735), the development of paper led to an even more diverse variety of fans. Fans were made with paper and wood, then painted with different symbols and motifs. Some fans were also painted with lacquer, which gave them a unique shine.

Furthermore, different shape variations also existed; some fans were folding fans (making a traditional folding buchae) and others were unmoving and circular in shape (round buchae). Yet all designs shared the fact that they were elegant and meaningful, yet modest. Traditional Korean fans hold to a “simple yet delicate aesthetic” (x).

Fans were regularly used by both aristocrats and normal people, in both the summer and the winter. They had many uses. Other than for staying cool, one could use a fan for things such as lighting fires and sorting through grains.

In the Joseon Era (대조선국), certain styles of fans were designed and used as a regal accessory or status symbol. “The classical scholars never went out without a fan. They would also use the fan to beat out a rhythm when they recited poems or sang pansori (판소리 - traditional Korean narrative songs). And when they were embarrassed or in a socially awkward situation, they had an easy escape: They simply hid their faces behind their fan.” (x) Furthermore, certain kinds of fans were reserved only for use by the nobility, such as fans with 40 or more spokes. Although they likely would not have been able to afford a fan with so many spokes to begin with, ordinary people were required to put less spokes on their fans.

Some types of fans were also used as parts of rituals or ceremonies such as weddings by royalty and nobility. Fans in the Goryeo Era (고려) were sent as diplomatic gifts in seeking goodwill with other nations, and also shared among the Korean people as gifts to each other. Another use for fans was Buchaechum (부채춤) (links to examples,1, 2, 3), the neoclassical Korean fan dance. Some fans were purely decorative; not meant to be used.