JapanDave.com » jizo

★ Six Little Monks

JapanDave — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:51:45 +0000

This is one of my favorite shots ever, and wouldn’t you know it… it was taken with the crappy 2MP camera of my iPhone 3G. Not the ideal camera to capture such a scene, but you make do with what you have (or as as Chase Jarvis puts it, “The best camera is the one that’s with you”)

Not monks, rather these are all Jizō, or Ojizō-sama (Kṣitigarbha), one of the most popular bodhisattvas (Buddhist saints) in Japan. Jizō is thought to be the protective deity of many things, including of travel (somewhat similar to St Christopher), and so it is very common to find him along side roads, and it’s also very common to find 6 of them in a row.

Better Buddhist scholars than me can tell us the reason for 6, but to me it calls to mind the folk tale of Kasajizo, a really fun story. Fun enough that I tried my hand at translating it once a few years ago; go read my attempt.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Six Little Monks

★ Roadside Shrine

JapanDave — Thu, 05 May 2011 04:45:37 +0000

Small shrines along the road are extremely common in Japan, especially in older areas. Here is one I stumbled across the other day as I was biking around the city. Pray to the Bodhisattvas (Buddhist saints) for good luck.

In addition to his duties protecting children, Jizo is also the guardian deity of travelers. You might compare him to Saint Christopher, I suppose. His roadside shrines can also be considered a sign of safety. Have you seen My Neighbor Totoro? When Mei is lost, she is shown sitting on a Jizo statue. This is to let the audience know she is alright.

And those large bunches of origami cranes? Another common sight. There is a myth that states if you fold 1000 of them, you will get a wish. More on that.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Roadside Shrine

★ Water Children Cemetery

JapanDave — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 02:37:13 +0000

I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure this is a temple for so called Mizuko (水子), that is Water Children. These are children who have been aborted, were stillborn, or died in miscarriage. Some Buddhist Temples offer a service called mizuko kuyo to help parents come to peace with this tragedy. Often as part of this service, the grieving parents buy a Jizo statue and dress it in their child’s clothes.

The subject of abortion is a difficult one in Japan. Basically it’s very common. As far as I know, birth control is finally becoming more common in Japan, so maybe the abortion rates are starting to drop, but at one time not that long ago, 60% of people admitted to having had at least one¹. As a result, it is not uncommon to find these temples for the Water Children.

The statue is Jizo, a bodhisattva (Buddhist Saint) who helps these unborn children move on to the next life. It is said that mizuko can’t cross the Sanzu River² (三途の川) by themselves and so Jizo aids them in getting across.

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Read more about that here: http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-EPT/joan.htm ↩
Something like the River Styx. The dead must cross it on their journey to the afterlife. ↩

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Water Children Cemetery

★ Six Little Jizo

JapanDave — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 02:30:13 +0000

These six guys are camping out at a small temple near the river. I forget the temple name, but rest assured, it has some connection to Tokugawa Ieyasu (as just about every place in Okazaki claims).

I’m not sure if this is Jizo or not, but maybe. Looks kind of like him. If you know for sure, leave a comment below. At any rate, being that there are six of them, I am reminded of the folk tale Kasa Jizo. Have you heard it? Basically it is a tale about the virtue of always being kind to those less fortunate and how when you least expect it, you will be rewarded for doing so. It also shows a unique character in Japanese Buddhism: Jizo. After looking at the photo below, go read my (bad?) translation of the story from a kid’s book where I first read it.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Six Little Jizo

★ Gang of Monks

JapanDave — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:54:34 +0000

Daily HDR Photo — Gang of Monks

Today’s photo is a vicious looking gang of monks.

No, wait, it’s a group of Jizo! You remember Jizo, don’t you? He’s the Buddhism Saint who protects children in this life and the next.

Most of these monks appear quite serious in their meditations, except for the guy I focused on in the middle with the purple bib and bit of an overweight face. Maybe it’s just how his bib is blown at the moment, or maybe it is that someone didn’t put his cap on straight, but he looks fast asleep to me. Must be some deep meditation.

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Click on the photo for a larger version, and go grab the original at flickr. It is completely free: Download it, share it with your friends, do whatever you want with it, just please give me credit and link back to this page.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Gang of Monks