Iroha Song: Impermanence and the Universe of Sound

Iroha Song - Impermanence and the Universe of Sound

1. Buddhist background: The colors are fragrant, but they fade away

"Iroha Ni Ho He To" is said to have been inspired by the teaching of the Nirvana Sutra: "All things are impermanent; this is the law of birth and death; birth and death are extinct; nirvana is bliss."
The opening line, "The colors are fragrant but they wither," expresses the truth of impermanence that all phenomena change, just as the beauty of flowers eventually fades.

The song suggests a path to Buddhist enlightenment by expressing in words the coexistence of beauty and transience.
In other words, language itself is a tool for training.

2. Philosophy of Sound: A complete pangram of 47 kana characters

This song is a complete pangram, using each of the 47 kana characters except for "n" once, and has a beautiful structure that condenses the universe of sound into one poem.
This is not simply an educational arrangement, but can also be seen as an attempt to embody the Japanese phonological system in poetry.

The arrangement of kana characters in "Iroha order" used in dictionaries and karuta cards is also an aesthetic way of organizing information.
It shows that words are not just symbols, but entities with order and meaning.

3. Historical Mysteries: Anonymous and the Origami Code

There are various theories about the author, including Kukai, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, and Minamoto no Takaakira, but no definitive answer has been given.
In recent years, it has been pointed out that there may be an oriku (hidden message) in the song.
Codes such as "die without guilt" are sometimes associated with the stories of the Ako Roshi and Kakinomoto no Hitomaro.

In other words, the Iroha song is a cultural heritage of language that combines superficial beauty with deep mystery.

The Japanese alphabet "Iroha Ni Ho He To" is engraved on this purse.
It is not simply a classical pattern, but a "poetic tool" that incorporates the philosophy and aesthetic sense of language.

"This purse is a vessel that holds a thousand-year-old poem in the palm of your hand.
Beautiful things fade away—it is this transience that gives words their power.”