Tag Archive for 'o-jizo-sama'

You see them all around Kansai–O-jizo-sama statues-on street corners, in unlikely nooks and busy intersections, all decked out in red or yellow aprons. These stone statue are believed to protect children, as well as beings suffering in hell. O-jizo-sama, which has combined with ancient native deities, comes from the Sanskrit word ksitigarbha or ‘womb of the earth’. These boddhisattvas give Kansai cities a special feeling, putting spirit into what would otherwise be concrete dullness.
On the Path of Philosophy in Kyoto, a group of special o-jizo-sama, mizugo-jizo, make their home. These stone statues stand silently in a moving tribute to unborn children who, for whatever erason, were denied a chance at life. There’s a sadness in their gathering, for their garb gives the stones a child-like quality; their stillness and silence, their resemblance to tombstones, naturally remind the observer of mortality.
A pilgrimage of sorts awaits those with an affinity for stone Buddhas. Gohyaku Rakan, “Five Hundred Stone Buddhas”, about ten kilometers north of Himeji, is the home for about 500 stone buddhas–a legion of sacred stones, spirtually inspiring, emotionally moving, and artistically impressive.
The Five Hundred Rakans of Hojo–which actually number 454–stand in a quiet village that makes an ideal sidetrip on the way to Himeji Castle. Rakan comes from the Sanscrit word Arahat, or realized one. Austerity and disciplined practice brings the Arahat to buddha-nature.
Like the aura of mysery that surronds the temples and shrines of the area, the origin of these carved statuary is lost to history. Wakasugi Kei conjectures that the images were carved in the 6th century–although even that much isn’t known for certain.
Many disasters–your standard Japanese fare of earthquakes, wars and famines–befell the locals causing countless deaths. The stone buddhas are presumed to stand in memory of the dead. Besides 500 Rakans, the grounds host a shrine with three monkeys–famed in the West for seeing, hearing, and speaking no evil.
“Go to Gohayku Rakan to the west of Hojo to see parent” goes the Japanese saying. It might take a particularly good imagination–or an enlighened one–to see your parent’s face with any degree of clarity, but the interesting aspect of these buddhas is that each one, like the individual buddhas on a Mandala scroll, is different.
This gathering of buddhist statuary provides a fascinationg and uncomercialized look at Japanese buddhist history. They will easily impress buddhism buffs for both their number and for the fact that their style differs from that of the typical O-jizo-sama. Collectively, they form a stirring tribute to art, religion, life and death–the gamut of emotions that special places evoke.