Jizo Statues: Ancient Protectors of the Road

As you walk through Japan, you are likely to see small stone statues in the shape of children or representations of the Buddha. The size is different and sometimes the faces are also different however their real identity tells a very interesting story.

Jizo (地蔵), as they are called in Japanese, are made in the image of Jizo Bosatsu , a guardian deity of children and travelers. They are also known as the ” earth bearer “, which is why Jizo statues are made of stone, which is said to have a spiritual power of protection and longevity that predates Buddhist beliefs.

Jizo Bosatsu is a kind and patient deity, so the statues are well weathered under rainwater and covered with moss. These little stone incarnations greet us along the way and give us protection and power when we need it.

And where there is a Jizo, you can also find a small stone tower nearby.

Another purpose of the Jizo is to protect the spirits of children who have passed away. It is said that when a child dies before their parents, they cannot cross the river to the afterlife, so they spend their days building stone towers to help earn merit for their parents in their own afterlife. However, mean-spirited yokai (妖怪) tear down these stone towers every day, so the children must make their tower from scratch.

As an act of kindness, travelers build stone towers in front of a Jizo to reduce their workload. There is a place called Sainokawara (賽の河原 which is known as the “limbo of children” and along the Kumano Kodo, you can find thousands of stones stacked in front of the Jizo statue, it is the effort made by thousands of travelers and parents who lost to their children at an early age.

The value of these stone towers lies not only in their ability to earn credit for the afterlife; they are also a form of protection. Once the stone towers are destroyed, the yokai are free to hunt the children, and that is when Jizo Bosatsu hides the children under his clothes. He becomes her caretaker instead of her parents.

In the colder months, the local people take care of the Jizo by dressing them in red clothes and hats, as helping a Buddhist monk is a virtuous gesture and, again, more credit is earned for entering the afterlife. The color red in Japan wards off disease and danger, making it the perfect color for a guardian deity.

For some time, making a pilgrimage to Kumano Kodo was meant to be a rigorous journey of spiritual salvation or repentance as Jizo not only protects the souls of children but also travelers, and they have been made as memorials to protect the spirits of those who passed away before they could complete their pilgrimage journey.

While the statues are small and may seem insignificant, it is important to recognize their role on the trail, where they offered encouragement and protection to weary travelers. If you have an extra stone on hand, be sure to add it to a stone tower if you see one; the Jizo will surely thank you very much.