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Jizō: Japan’s Protector of Children and Sufferers in Hell

  • Sai-no-Kawara Jizō-son, painted by the ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Kuniteru (1808-76). On the left, children are being bullied by demons, while on the right Jizō is depicted saving them. (Courtesy Tokyo Metropolitan Library)

    Sai-no-Kawara Jizō-son, painted by the ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Kuniteru (1808-76). On the left, children are being bullied by demons, while on the right Jizō is depicted saving them. (Courtesy Tokyo Metropolitan Library)

  • An image of the piles of stones on the sai no kawara riverbank.

    An image of the piles of stones on the sai no kawara riverbank.

  • Togenuki Jizōson Kōganji Temple, for which Jizō is the principal deity. The Jizō here is well known as a “thorn-puller”; however, it is a “secret Buddha” and not on public display.

    Togenuki Jizōson Kōganji Temple, for which Jizō is the principal deity. The Jizō here is well known as a “thorn-puller”; however, it is a “secret Buddha” and not on public display.

  • A Jizō statue standing by Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, Tokyo. (© Pixta)

    A Jizō statue standing by Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, Tokyo. (© Pixta)

  • Jizō statues near the temple of Giōji in Okusaga, Kyoto. (© Pixta)

    Jizō statues near the temple of Giōji in Okusaga, Kyoto. (© Pixta)

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