Fans Or Arrows?

[johnnyi]

Hello.   I have heard two differing opinions of what these might be; fans or arrows. There is a pair on the front and a pair on the back of this tsuba. Was there ever a  system in Japan, military or government, that might have used a certain number of fans (or arrows) to designate rank or position?  I've been looking but can find nothing. Thanks in advance

 

Regards,  Johnnyi

[dominnimod]

I think there is a family mon/crest composed of two fans like that, not sure though

 

Edit: Found these three: 1.fans, 2.feathers and 3.arrows?

 

[sabi]

I'd bet on those being gunbai (fans). 

[Steve Waszak]

Good question, Johnny.  I find myself leaning toward their being arrows, as it seems there is depicted the extension of the arrow shaft past the feathers to provide the notch.  But the motif is a bit on the abstract side, so Evan could be right.  Does the motif on the other side look just the same as it does here? 

[Pete Klein]

Gunbai - signal fan:

 

 

 

[johnnyi]

Here's the reverse which isn't much help.  I was leaning toward fans too, but after seeing Jose's post of the rounded  two arrow fletches kamon, maybe that's what it is?  Thanks all for the input.

 

 

Johnnyi

[sabi]

Now that's interesting...

 

Those look like arrows with the concave end and no taper to the body.  The curvature of the design in your first post still screams gunbai to me though...

[Jean]

Peter is right, Gunbai

[Shugyosha]

One of the other things I do is archery and they ain't arrows. Not if they are expected to fly anyway.

[johnnyi]

Thank you all for your help. I will go with gunbai, and try to discover whether they might be mon, rank, or maybe something else. Thank you again.

 

regards,

 

Johnnyi

[Prewar70]

Arrows for sure the ends are nocked to accept a string.

[johnnyi]

Prewar, I thought so too at first, but I think it is just the nature of crosshatching that gives the illusion of knocked. Anywhere crosshatching stops you will get a "v".

 

 

johnnyi

[Greg F]

Im going with fans for sure.

 

Greg