Iroha song - Iroha song

This is a 47-character poem in the modern style of 7-5 rhythm, in which all kana are read without repeating the same kana. Normally, each kana is read separately, but when kanji are assigned according to the meaning of the poem and voiced marks are added, it becomes as follows.

The color is fragrant, but it has faded away. Who in this world can ever remain eternal? In the mountains of the world of the living.
Beyond today, I have a shallow dream, not even getting drunk Since the Middle Ages, the character "Kyo" has often been added to the end of the poem, but its origin is unclear. The Iroha poem is thought to have been created in the mid-Heian period or later, based on the fact that it does not distinguish between the "e" in the "a" row and the "e" in the "ya" row, and the form of the poem, so the ancient theory that it was written by Kobo Daishi should be denied. The oldest surviving Iroha poem is written in Manyo-gana in the Shorekihon Konkomyo Saisho-o Kyo-ongi (copied in 1079). All of the old "Iroha Songs," including this one, were recorded in dictionaries or books related to Buddhism, and recent research trends suggest that they were created by Buddhist monks for the academic study of phonology. Later, they were used primarily as models for writing practice, but this is not thought to have been their original purpose. Until modern times, they were used to determine the order of vocabulary in dictionaries, and this had a great influence, but they were also used as a basis for distinguishing between the use of kana in "historical kana usage," and their influence in this respect continues to this day. Other well-known works that preceded the "Iroha Song" include the "Tai-ni-no-Uta" and "Ame-tsuchi," which has 48 characters by distinguishing between the "e" in the "a" row and the "e" in the "ya" row.

[Kondo Yasuhiro]

"Oya Toru's 'Sound Chart and Practice of Songs' (1918, Dainihon Tosho/Reprint edition, 1969, Benseisha)" ▽ "Komatsu Hideo's 'Iroha Uta' (Chuko Shinsho)" ▽ "Takahashi Aiji's 'Iroha Uta' (1974, Sanseido)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

すべてのかなを、同じかなを繰り返さずに読み込んだ、七五調の今様(いまよう)の形式をとった47字の歌。通常は各仮名を、清音で1字1字別々に読むが、歌の意味にそって漢字をあて、濁点をつけると、次のようになる。

　色(いろ)は匂(にほ)へど　散(ち)りぬるを
　我世誰(わがよたれ)ぞ常(つね)ならむ
　有為(うゐ)の奥山(おくやま)
　今日(けふ)越(こ)えて
　浅(あさ)き夢見(ゆめみ)じ　酔(ゑ)ひもせず
　中世以後、最後に「京」の字を添えることがしばしばあるが、その起源は明らかでない。「いろは歌」の製作年代は、ア行のエとヤ行のヱを区別していない点、歌の形式などから平安時代中期以降と考えられ、その点で弘法(こうぼう)大師の作という古来からの説は否定されるべきである。現存する「いろは歌」のなかで最古のものは承歴本(しょうれきほん)『金光明最勝王経音義(こんこうみょうさいしょうおうきょうおんぎ)』（1079写）に記載された万葉仮名によるものである。これを含め、古い時代の「いろは歌」は、みな辞書や仏教関係の書物に記されたものばかりであり、この点から、僧侶(そうりょ)によって音韻の学問的研究を目的としてつくられたものと考えるのが、近時の研究動向である。のちには、おもに手習い用の手本として用いられるようになるが、それは当初の製作目的ではなかったと考えられる。近代まで、辞書の語彙(ごい)の配列の順序などに利用され、その影響は大きかったが、ほかに「歴史的仮名づかい」における仮名の使い分けの根拠として用いられ、その面での影響は現在も続いているといえる。なお、「いろは歌」に先行する同類のものとして「たゐにの歌」や、ア行のエとヤ行のヱを区別して48字ある「あめつち」が知られている。

［近藤泰弘］

『大矢透著『音図及手習詞歌考』（1918・大日本図書／復刻版・1969・勉誠社）』▽『小松英雄著『いろはうた』（中公新書）』▽『高橋愛次著『伊呂波歌考』（1974・三省堂）』

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