καιρός remembered

The friendly army

What an impressive army of identical little figures! That was my first reaction when I came across them on the grounds of the Buddhist Hase-dera Temple in Kamakura. On closer inspection, however, some of the faces do display slightly different features. So there must have been a few different moulds used to make the figurines, which explains the subtle differences. But their faces are all equally endearing. A friendly army, indeed.

Then I realised that they were all statues of Jizo, the guardian deity of the souls of children who have died at a young age, particularly those who never saw the light of day due to a miscarriage or abortion, and stillborn children. I understood that it is believed their souls face a problem on their way to a peaceful afterlife, as they have missed the chance to perform the good deeds necessary to cross the Sanzu River, the Japanese Buddhist version of the Styx. You’d think they wouldn’t have had time to commit any evil deeds either, but no – we live in an unjust world. Fortunately, however, there is Jizo, who can help and protect these poor souls. The bereaved parents and single mothers come to Hase-dera Temple to add their own little Jizo statue (on sale at the gate) to the army already standing there, and ask him to protect the soul of their lost child.

Behind every little statue of the gentle Jizo lies a sad story:

falling freely, tears and rain, on the garden of Jizo
as an anonymous haiku says.

May Jizo not only protect the souls of the missing children, but also comfort their grieving mothers and fathers.

Photos of the week: Jizo statues, Hase-dera temple, Kamakura, Japan, 2008