Read, reflect, pray
Homage to Yakushi: waka
南無薬師
Author not named
Poem and reading aid
南無薬師
namuyakushi
諸病なかれと
shobyounakareto
願いつつ
negaitsutsu
詣れる人は
maireru hitoha
大窪の寺
ookubono tera
How to use the Roman letters
Roman letters follow the kana displayed in this site’s Japanese reader; some readings are editorial additions documented on the Japanese page. These are a reading aid, not restored Sanskrit or a recording of a temple’s chanting. Historical spellings (such as wo, wi, we and ha used as a particle) are kept. Double vowels and repeated vowels mark the written kana; rhythm and pronunciation can differ by tradition.
You can simply read the meaning or sit quietly. No recitation is required. For a temple or shrine’s own recitation, follow that tradition’s published guidance.
Meaning in English
With hands joined to Yakushi, wishing that many illnesses may be absent, people make their pilgrimage to Ōkuboji.
Background and attribution
A pilgrimage song of Ōkuboji, Shikoku temple 88, associated with Yakushi through its principal image. It voices the pilgrims’ hope for health; it does not promise a cure.
The English meaning and explanation are this site’s own rendering. The poem’s speaker, author and object of devotion are not necessarily the same.
Connected figures
Sources and edition (1)
English explanations on this page were prepared by Inori no Mori from the cited text and its Japanese explanations. They are not an official translation or a prescribed liturgy.