Bussokuseki was created by FUNYA no Chinu (also known as King Chinu), a grandson of Emperor Tenmu, in 753, as part of a memorial service for his deceased wife (or mother), and thus the poems were also believed to have been written around this period.
仏足石は天武天皇の孫文屋智努（＝智努王）が753年（天平勝宝5年）亡き夫人（または母ともいわれる）の追善のために作ったもので、仏足石歌もこの頃作られたと見られている。