The event is said to have started when the Buddhist nun from Hokke-ji Temple remembered his virtues by placing a round fan on the altar so that he could swat away mosquitoes.
その徳を偲んだ法華寺の尼僧がせめてうちわで蚊を払えるようにと霊前にうちわを供えたのが始まりといわれる。