The Sazuke of the Fan

John has offered to start a conversation regarding his theory on the Sazuke of the Fan. Let's get some of the facts down so we're all on the same page:

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WHAT IS THE "SAZUKE OF THE FAN?"

QUOTE:
In "The Life of Oyasama, Founderss of Tenrikyo," it says:
When the recipients of this Sazuke of the Fan made an inquiry while holding the fan they had received from Oyasama, they were able to decipher the intention of God the Parent by the movement of the fan. The Sazuke of the Fan is also referred to as the "invocation of the fan."
END QUOTE

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HISTORY
When did Oyasama begin to bestow the Sazuke of the Fan, and who received it?
From "The Life of Oyasama, Founderss of Tenrikyo"
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QUOTE:
From the spring of 1864, Oyasama bestowed the Sazuke of the Fan on devoted followers. About fifty or sixty people received it. Chushichi Yamanaka and Saemon Nakata were each granted the Sazuke of the Gohei and the Sazuke of Fertilizer, in addition to the Sazuke of the Fan. On December 26 of the same year, Chusaku Tsuji and several others were granted the Sazuke with the following words of Oyasama:

Kisaburo of Senzai Village, I hand you a folding fan of flat ribs. Think of it as God and set it apart for worship.

Zensuke of the same village, to you I hand a folding fan of black ribs.

Koemon of the same village, on you I bestow the Gohei and Fertilizer. Chusaku of Toyoda Village, on you I bestow the Gohei and Fertilizer. Understand that these are for all eternity. You will not be able to continue your long journey without traveling expenses. So, I bestow upon you Fertilizer as your traveling expenses.

By this time, many people had been gathering at the Residence, not only from neighboring villages such as Shiba, Mamekoshi, Yokota, Shoji, Onishi, Niizumi, Tatsuta, Ando, Namimatsu, Ichinomoto, Furuichi, Shichijo, and Toyoda, but also from various remote regions.

With such an increase in the number of people returning to the Residence in 1863 and 1864, when Oyasama was sixty-six and sixty-seven years old, lack of space in the Residence became especially apparent. The main house had already been dismantled, while the remaining old and shabby house in which Oyasama lived had only two rooms, one eight-mat and the other six-mat. The eight-mat room had a gohei in it as the symbol of worship and was used as a gathering place for worshipers. However, on the twenty-sixth day of every month, this room was so crowded that there was an overflow of many worshipers into the garden. Thus, there began to be some talk among the people that they should be allowed to build a new place for worship before long.

It was during this period that Izo Iburi (later the Honseki) visited the Residence for the first time. He came one day in May of 1864. He was received by Kokan, to whom he stated the object of his visit. He wanted Oyasama to save his wife, who had been ill in bed since her delivery. Kokan conveyed his request to Oyasama, who said with great delight,
END QUOTE
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I included a little more of the history, because it's all very interesting information. I noticed that Izo Iburi began to follow the Path much later than the other people mentioned in the beginning of the quote, which I also found interesting.

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I'm also trying to find a list of all the different types of Sazuke that were given back then, but haven't been able to locate it yet. I don't want to go from just my shaky memory, so this is part of it, again, from "The Life of Oyasama, Founderss of Tenrikyo."

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QUOTE:
First, I bestow the Grant of Breath to Nakata. Second, the Grant of Boiled Rice to Matsuo. Third, the Grant of Hand Dance to Tsuji, which is to be performed with an innocent heart like that of a three-year-old child. Fourth, the Grant of the Kanrodai-Teodori to Masui, which is to be performed in one accord, all firmly united.
END QUOTE
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So far we have:
1) Sazuke of the Fan
2) Sazuke of the Gohei
3) Sazuke of Fertilizer
4) Grant of Breath
5) Grant of Boiled Rice
6) Grant of Hand Dance
7) Grant of the Kanrodai-Teodori
* Numbers are just to indicate how many types there are. It has nothing to do with order of importance or when it was given.

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It is also important to note that the Sazuke of the Fan is no longer given, due to its misuse. It was during Oyasama's physical presence that the various Sazuke were stopped. The only Sazuke that we can receive now is the Sazuke (Grant) of Hand Dance. [Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Yoshi, Keith?]

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OK, now, let's get the conversation started. John?