This layout is also thought to be a construct of Sansonbutsu (three Buddhist deities) affected by Buddhism, or often interpreted as a construct originated from a composition technique of the time, which is found in "歴代帝王島圏 the Rekidai Teio Zumaki" (The Thirteen Emperors Scroll) of Yan Liben (a Chinese painter and government official of the early Tang Dynasty).
この配置は、仏教の影響を受けた三尊仏的構成とも考えられ、あるいは閻立本の絵に伝わる『歴代帝王島圏歴代帝王図巻』に見られる、その頃の構図法に起因したものと解釈されることがある。