Song Three is one of two Songs that use the open folding fans. Whereas the fans now have a red-orange disc1 on a white background and brings to mind the Japanese flag, they supposedly represent the Sun2 in addition to the Moon and the Sun.3 Folding fans from the late 1880s and 1890s had the Sun and crescent Moon.4 It is unclear when or why the church leadership adopted to use the folding fans with a red-orange disc, but it may worthy to consider a change away from the present convention sometime in the future.
Verse 1
一ツ ひのもとしよやしきの つとめのばしよハよのもとや
一つ 日の本（火の元）庄屋敷（初屋敷）の つとめの場所は世の元や
Hitotsu / Hi no moto / Shoyashiki no / Tsutome no basho wa / yo no moto ya
One / origin of the Sun / in Shoyashiki / The Place for the Service is / the world’s origin
Continue reading Song Three, verse 1
- According to my observations, the disc of older folding fans tend to have a redder tinge while it is more of a more orange hue in newer fans. ↩
- Ueda A 214. ↩
- Ono 84. Yoshinaru Ueda states that holding an open folding fan in each hand represents the principle of Tsuki-Hi, Moon-Sun or Cosmic Space-Time. In other words, he states that holding the fans can be interpreted to express the principle of Cosmic Space-Time in a state of spiritual uplift before our very eyes (A 214). ↩
- MST 163. ↩