Origin
Authorship is traditionally ascribed to the Heian era Japanese Buddhist priest and scholar Kūkai (空海) (774–835). However, this is unlikely as it is believed that in his time there were separate e sounds in the a and ya columns of the kana table. The え (e) above would have been pronounced ye, making the pangram incomplete.
It is said that the iroha is a transformation of these verses in the Nirvana Sutra:
- 諸行無常
- 是生滅法
- 生滅滅已
- 寂滅為楽
which translates into
- All acts are impermanent
- That's the law of creation and destruction.
- When all creation and destruction are extinguished
- That ultimate stillness (nirvana) is true bliss.
The above in Japanese is read
- Shogyō mujō
- Zeshō meppō
- Shōmetsu metsui
- Jakumetsu iraku .
Read more about this topic: Iroha
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