 The compound therefore means "origin of the sun" and is the source of the popular Western epithet "Land of the Rising Sun".The red disc symbolizes the Sun and the red lines are light rays shining from the rising sun.The design of the Rising Sun Flag (Asahi) has been widely used since ancient times, and a part of it was called "Hiashi" (日足, ひあし) and used as the samurai's crest ("Hiashimon", 日足紋).