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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Traditional Japanese fan

A beautiful traditional Japanese fan was also among the items in the cardboard box simply labeled "Japan stuff".  On the front is the Japanese sun disc with the phrase "by all means, we will win" written on either side. A name, scribed in red ink, indicates that the fan belonged to someone with the family name of Kamishima. The lyrics of the songs are for a soldier on the battlefield, but little is known of this fan's origin.




Front: "By all means, we will win" - Back: (red characters on far left) "1st Platoon Private Kamishima" -- Song title on the right: "It's been nationally appointed as the March of the Patriots by the Department of Intelligence of the Japanese Government and approved by the Education Ministry" --  Song title on the left: "Song for the soldiers' morale, considered to be the national people’s song, recommended by the Army of Japan"

Back of the fan, left hand side
Song lyrics: "It's been nationally appointed as the March of the Patriots by the Department of Intelligence of the Japanese Government and approved by the Education Ministry" 

Stanza 1
Look the eastern sky has become bright and the sun has risen and is shining.  The spirit of the heaven and earth are exuberant.  Our hopes dance on our great eight islands.  Oh in the morning clouds of purity, Mt. Fuji soars.  It shows the unshakable and perfect golden state of our Japan.  It is our pride.

Stanza 2
Stand up, we hold our great emperor, descendant of the one line of the Imperial Family in the glorious light and eternity. Every one of us who are his people of the emperor are willing to go alongside the great duty. Go! The eight great continents should become our home and we'll be guiding the peoples of the four oceans. We will establish a righteous peacefulness. Our ideals blossom like fragrant flowers.

Stanza 3
Sometimes there might be treacherous storms which challenge us, however let's protect/observe this righteousness at all costs. There is only one way we should follow. Ah! We are transcending this thunderous march to our next generation that we have inherited from the generations of our imperial lines. We can see far ahead of us the destination of our great march. Let there be prosperity forever for our imperial nation.

Back of fan, right hand side
Song lyrics: "Song for the soldiers' morale, considered to be the national people's song, recommended by the Army of Japan"

Stanza 1
Having received life as a male child of Japan, we are going to confront the battlefield. So make sure you will not do things which will shame your name. We soldiers are the cherry blossoms, fragrant in our nation which know when to fall and how to fall.

Stanza 2
We the strong, who also understand humility should not hesitate to confront one million enemies when holding the righteous sword. Men who believe always win and therefore no enemies are against us.

Stanza 3
We would humbly internalize the teachings of our emperor which are made up of five morals. And we are determined since ancient times as warriors not to fear exposing our corpse on the battlefields. Even if one thread of hair would be left on earth there should no reregret. Instead there will only be honor. Although we could be great warriors who could destroy a whole mountain, we will be humble/not presumptuous. We might be the great warriors but we have the love that can contain/embrace the oceans. These great morals which have been with us for 3000 years and this continous line of the Japanese spirit. This the great of us, the Imperial Army.

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