Jizō to the Rescue

Abstract

Jizō is everywhere in Japan: the edge of town, the street corner, the playground, next to the rice field. He is the most commonly depicted deity, his images outnumbering even those of Kannon. The observant visitor to modern Japan will immediately notice the abundance of small stone images at roadsides. At first, however, he might not realize these are statues of a deity. Sometimes wrapped in a bib, or topped with a cap, the rock might be ornamented with a simply drawn face or be only vaguely human in shape, with no face at all. These small statues are almost always of Jizō Bodhisattva.¹