Uchiwa fan in the old days was aimed at 'brushing something off' or 'holding it up high' rather than 'making a wind,' which was used for several purposes including a symbol of dignity, ritual, good-luck token, prayer, religious faith and fortune-telling, as well as used as military leader's fan and sumo referee's fan.
「あおぐ」ためより「はらう」「かざす」ためのもので、威儀、儀式、縁起、祈り、軍配、行司、信仰、占いなどにつかわれた。