Six little Jizo, all lined up.
Jizo, called Ksitigarbha in Sanskrit, is probably one of the most popular Buddhist figures in Japan. There are very often six of them grouped together like this photo. The meaning is that Jizo protects us in all six realms of existence. Briefly these are: hell, the hungry ghost realm (the gaki realm, a level of hell where their craving can never be fulfilled), the animal level, the asuras level (a place of anger, jealousy, and constant war... wait...this sounds familiar), the human realm, and the deva realm (heaven).
Besides being placed at temples (like these in the photo), you will often find them at crossroads, intersections, or less traveled roads. These represent transitional areas. That's a nice way of saying places where you could be in an accident and die (transitioning to a different level of existence). If you need a comparison, think of them as protectors of travelers, like St Christopher.
Jizo often carries a staff with six rings. In mythology, he shakes it six times to open the doors between the levels of existence.
If you are ever in Japan and walk by a Jizo statue, if you pause and offer a prayer of thanks, this is said to give good karma. Something simple like "Ojizo-sama, thank you for all you do". (the "o" and "sama" aren't necessary, but they are added respectfully in Japan, so you'll hear that a lot). And yes you will actually see this in Japan, usually with clapping hands and a bow. In my experience usually it's old men and women who do this small ritual, but I've seen young people do it too.
After taking their photos, I walked around some rice fields. It's getting high!
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| 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. |
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