Note that the reason this this been called 'Sanzetsu no Kane' (bell of the three masters) since ancient times is because the inscription comprises the work of three masters active at that time: the preface was composed by TACHIBANA no Hiromi; the text of the inscription by composed by SUGAWARA no Koreyoshi; and the calligraphy by done by Toshiyuki.
なお、この銘文の序は橘広相、銘は菅原是善、書は敏行と、当時の三名家がそれぞれ成したので、古来「三絶の鐘」と呼ばれている。