Buddha's Foot Stone Song

It is also called "Bussokuseki no Uta" ("Poems that accompany Buddha's footprints"), and is inscribed on a stone monument next to the Buddha's footprints, which was erected by King Chinu in 753 (Tenpyo Shoho 5) to commemorate his deceased wife. It is still in existence in the grounds of Yakushiji Temple in Nara City. It is a Buddhist song consisting of 21 poems in total, including 17 poems praising the Buddha's footprints and 4 poems expressing the principles of impermanence and life and death, and the author is unknown. These were sung in front of the Buddha and are significant as pioneers of Japanese hymns and other songs. All the songs are in a unique style of 5-7-5-7-7-7, known as the Buddha's Footprint Song Style, such as "The sound of the stones made by the Buddha's footprints reaches the heavens and even the earth shakes for my parents and for all people." Furthermore, a few poems in this style can also be found in the ancient works "Kojiki," "Nihon Shoki," "Manyoshu," and "Fudoki."

[Hiroshi Endo]

"Japanese Classical Literature Series 3: Ancient Songs" (1957, Iwanami Shoten), edited by Hiroshi Dobashi and Jinichi Konishi

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

「ぶっそくせきのうた」ともいう。仏足石（釈迦(しゃか)の足跡を紋様風に彫刻した石）に添えられた歌の意で、753年（天平勝宝5）に智努王(ちぬのおおきみ)が亡妻供養のために造立した仏足石の側の石碑に刻まれ、奈良市の薬師寺境内に現存する。仏の足跡をたたえる内容の17首と無常・生死の道理を現した4首、合計21首からなる仏教歌謡で、作者不明。これらは仏前で歌われたもので、和讃(わさん)などの先駆的存在としての意義がある。全歌が「御足跡(みあと)造る石の響きは天に到(いた)り地(つち)さへ揺(ゆす)れ父母がために諸人(もろびと)のために」のように五・七・五・七・七・七という、仏足石歌体といわれる独特の歌体をとる。なお、この歌体の歌は上代では『古事記』『日本書紀』『万葉集』『風土記(ふどき)』にも少数みられる。

［遠藤　宏］

『土橋寛・小西甚一校注『日本古典文学大系3　古代歌謡集』（1957・岩波書店）』

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