I wish I could have stepped farther back, to photograph the entire shrine because the view was spectacular. Today, I researched the history of the statues at this shrine. Paraphrased from wikipedia... Jizō is one of the most loved of all Japanese divinities and is traditionally viewed as the guardian children who died before their parents. In Japanese mythology, the souls of children who die before their parents are unable to cross the mythical Sanzu River on their way to the afterlife because they have not had the chance to accumulate enough good deeds and because they have made the parents suffer. It is believed that Jizō saves these souls from having to pile stones eternally on the bank of the river as penance. The statues are sometimes adorned with childrens clothing or bibs, or with toys, put there by grieving parents or by parents to thank Jizō for saving their children from a serious illness.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 00:50:44 +0000
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