Even he who beholds the sign after my death shall be delivered
from all the evil results of all his errors." Various other texts
of Japanese Buddhism affirm that whoever looks upon the
footprints of the Buddha "shall be freed from the bonds of error,
and conducted upon the Way of Enlightenment."

An outline of the footprints as engraved on one of the Japanese
pedestals(3) should have some interest even for persons familiar
with Indian sculptures of the S'ripada. The double-page drawing,
accompanying this paper [Fig.1], and showing both footprints, has
been made after the tracing at Dentsu-In, where the footprints
have the full legendary dimension, It will be observed that there
are only seven emblems: these are called in Japan the Shichi-So,
or "Seven Appearances." I got some information about them from
the Sho-Eko-Ho-Kwan,--a book used by the Jodo sect. This book
also contains rough woodcuts of the footprints; and one of them I
reproduce here for the purpose of calling attention to the
curious form of the emblems upon the toes. They are said to be
modifications of the manji, or svastika, but I doubt it. In the
Butsu-soku-seki-tracings, the corresponding figures suggest the
"flower-like design" mentioned in the tradition of the Maghada
stone; while the symbols in the book-print suggest fire. Indeed
their outline so much resembles the conventional flamelet-design
of Buddhist decoration, that I cannot help thinking them
originally intended to indicate the traditional luminosity of the
footprints. Moreover, there is a text in the book called Ho-Kai-
Shidai that lends support to this supposition:--"The sole of the
foot of the Buddha is flat,--like the base of a toilet-stand....
Upon it are lines forming the appearance of a wheel of a thousand
spokes.... The toes are slender, round, long, straight, graceful,