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Hello and welcome to the 17th episode of the Weapons of Assassin's Creed series, i'm EscoBlades
your host and in this video we are going to be taking
a closer look at The Fan.
The Fan was the weapon of Fiora Cavazza. She was a courtesan working in the Rosa in
Fiore, and was recruited into the Templar Order by Cesare Borgia who sent her on several
errands.
In 2012, her genetic memories were used as an Animi Avatar by the Templar company Abstergo
Industries, in the first stage of their training for their
Animus recruits under the title of the Courtesan. She used a bladed fan as her primary weapon,
and was capable of killing by unfolding it or clasping it as a dagger.
On the surface, the fan Fiora wields resembles an ordinary fan, commonly carried by noblewomen
in the Renaissance. In the Courtesan's hands, however, the fan
was a beautiful martial arts weapon, which could cause deadly harm with the grace of
a dance.
In fact, the fan was constructed with thirteen metal slats that contracted to expose a series
of sharp blades when opened, as well as a Templar cross.
These added blades were used to lacerate limbs, inflict deep flesh wounds, and shred the necks
of victims.
As surprising as it might seem, this weapon bears a similarity to a real life counterpart,
the Japanese WAR FAN, also known as the TESSEN. As the name implies, the war fan is a fan
designed for use in warfare. Several types of war fans were used by the samurai class
of feudal Japan.
War fans varied in size, materials, shapes and use. One of the most significant uses
was as a signalling device. The commander would raise or lower his fan
and point in different ways to issue commands to the soldiers,
which would then be passed on by other forms of visible and audible signalling.
There were a few examples of War Fans present at the time.
The GUNSEN was a folding fan used by the average warriors to cool themselves off.
They were made of wood, bronze, brass or a similar metal for the inner spokes, and often
used thin iron or other metals for the outer spokes or cover,
making them lightweight but strong.
The TESSEN, the war fan similar in use to Fiora’s, was a folding fan with outer spokes
made of heavy plates of iron which were designed to look like normal, harmless folding fans.
Samurai could take these as a replacement, where swords or other overt weapons were not
allowed, and some swordsmanship schools included training in the use of the tessen as a weapon.
The tessen was also used for fending off arrows and darts, as a throwing weapon, and as an
aid in swimming.
The GUNBAI or DANSEN UCHIWA was a large solid open fan usually made of a variety of materials
and was carried by high-ranking officers. They were used to ward off arrows, as a sunshade,
and to signal to troops.
Since the war fans could also be used as a weapon, the art of fighting with war fans
came to be known as tessenjutsu. The use of the war fan in combat is mentioned
in early Japanese legends.
For example, Yoshitsune, a hero of Japanese legend, is said to have defeated an opponent
named Benkei by parrying the blows of his opponent's spear with an iron fan.
The use of the iron fan was taught to him by a mythological creature, a tengu, who also
had instructed him in the art of swordsmanship.
Practitioners of tessenjutsu could acquire a high level of skill.
Some became so skilled, in fact, that they were able to defend themselves against an
attacker wielding a sword, and even kill an opponent with a single blow.
The tessen could also be dual-wielded to parry with one hand and attack with the other.
Another variation, Poison fans, often hid deadly or stunning concoctions in bladders
or channels which would open upon spreading the fan,
allowing the user to gently direct fatal toxins at their opponent over short distances.
And this concludes our look at the Fan within Assassin's Creed. As always a big thank you
to Deenuke and her Art of Swords blog, as well as Sicksteeny of AC Initiates,
for their help, guidance and collaboration on this project. Additional source material
comes from the Myarmoury website. All relevant links are shown on the screen
and in the video description. Thank you for watching as always, take care and bye for
now.