So, is he an annoyed monk or a peaceful monk? What's your vote?

Does his expression look a little irate to you? It does to me. Maybe the other monks were picking on him. I'm sure it was just a trick of the light, combined with the cap being set just so. Whatever the case may be, looks like a somewhat angry face to me.

That isn't a cape, by the way, but rather a bib. Many Buddhist and Shinto statues have bibs. It is due to Jizō-sama's association with protecting children and the bibs Jizo statues wear soon spread to other Shinto and Buddhist statues.

Combine his annoyed look and the bib resting on his shoulder like a cape, and he almost looks like some crazed supervillain. I'll make those monks pay! They'll be sorry.

	David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.