Verse 9

九ツ      こゝハこのよのでんぢなら　わしもしつかりたねをまこ

九つ　此処は此の世の田地なら　私もしっかり種を蒔こう

Kokonotsu / Koko wa kono yo no denji / nara / washi mo / shikkari / tane o mako

Nine / Here is this world’s rice field / if / I too / firmly / sow seeds

Verse 9 is a statement of further spiritual growth of human beings to the point we say, “If this Residence is this world’s rice field where all seeds sown will sprout, I will make firm or devoted efforts to sow seeds.”

There are commentators that interpret the phrase “If this place is this world’s rice field” as “If this place is this world’s best or most fertile rice field.”¹

Verse 10

Song Seven’s Verse 10 is twice as long as the typical verse:

十ド      このたびいちれつに　ようこそたねをまきにきた

たねをまいたるそのかたハ　こえをおかずにつくりとり

到頭　此の度一列に　ようこそ種を蒔きに来た

種を蒔いたるその方は　肥を置かずにい作り取り

Tōdo / Kono tabi / ichiretsu ni / yōkoso / tane o maki ni kita

Tane o maitaru sono kata wa / koe o okazu ni tsukuri tori

Ten, finally / This time / one and all / it is commendable for / [you] to come and sow seeds

Seeds sow / those people / fertilizer / without applying / grow and reap

Verse 10 begins with words of commendation to those who come to the Residence of Origin to sow seeds. The Song closes with a statement that those who have come to sow seeds will reap a harvest without having to apply any fertilizer.

Due to the following Ofudesaki verse that likens medicine as fertilizer, I personally also interpret the phrase “grow and reap without applying fertilizer” as “live your lives without having to take medicine”:

Because of My desire to have you know [the beginning of this world], I began doctors and medicine for weeding and fertilizing.

9:11

Song Seven Summary

As noted above, the conventional way of interpreting verse 1 is “Even conveying a word of Oyagami’s teachings is accepted as hinokishin. This action then becomes guidance for others to join the faith.” It is also possible to interpret that doing hinokishin itself equals spreading the fragrance or doing active propagation.

It may be noted that the sense of smell among the five senses is most closely connected with memory. Smells are known to trigger memories because the olfactory system is anatomically close to limbic system and the hippocampus, areas of the brain known to be involved with emotion and place memory. Each word we say is potentially a “fragrance,” a lasting impression or an impression that is potentially and potently retriggered in the future. Truly like a seed that may bud potentially at some point in the future, which is connected with rest of the “sowing seeds” theme in Song Seven.

Verse 2, as noted, has potentially three different interpretations but it is conventional to interpret the “profound heart-mind” as Kami’s profound heart-mind that wishes to teach about “fusekomi” or dedicating oneself at the Residence, Kami’s field.

One commentator provides the following summary of Song Seven from verses 3 to 10 (she leaves out 1 and 2 because she personally does not see their clear connection with the rest of the Song):

• Verse 3: “There is no one in the world who does not desire to own a field.”
• Verse 4: “If there is a good field, everyone equally will desire to own it.” This “good field” (yoki-ji) is later revealed to be the Residence, the field of Kami. The commentator argues that “field of Kami” is a concept that no one has heard about until now so Kami just uses the term “good field” at this stage.²
• Verse 5: The human response jumps at Kami’s words as follows: “I want that (good) field.”
• Verse 6: [Kami] pushes presses (osae) down on this human mind that jumps at wanting this good field—“I never compel you to do this or that; that is left to your own heart” i.e., Kami replies with “I won’t tell you to this or that against your will.
• Verse 7: “I wish to get the field by any means, no matter what the price may be”—shows firm determination; this determination becomes springboard for Kami to reveal that the field Kami is talking about is not just an ordinary field found in the world at large, but that it is Kami’s field
• Verse 8: “As this Residence is the field of Kami, every seed sown here will sprout”—announcement of Residence as Kami’s field, something that people probably have never heard of before. Reason for Kami’s intention behind using the metaphor of a field is revealed.
• Verse 9: “Since this is the field of this world, I, too, will sow the seed devotedly”—This is until now, human side showed only desire to gain ownership/possession of the field, this is the first time the human side expresses awareness of importance dedicating oneself to sow seeds as well as the resolution to make spiritual progress/growth.
• Verse 10: Sowing seeds: seed connected with Song Eleven verse’s 2 “Husband and wife doing hinokishin becomes seed of everything” and “Hinokishin where greed is forgotten” (Song Eleven, verse 4) becomes the fertilizer that one does not need to physically add to the field.³

References/notes