Ojizo-sama
お地蔵さま
おじぞうさま
Jizo is the Japanese name of one of the most popular
bodhisattvas in Japan and is usually used in conjunction with the
honorifics O and sama. Jizo statues are a familiar
sight along roadsides in Japan. The Jizo bodhisattva originated
in India and was introduced into Heian-period Japan from Tang China.
Veriation of Jizo became at a time when the end of the world,
epitomized by the Buddhist concept of mappo, was thought
to be near. Because of the bodhisattva's vow to aid all those who
suffer, Jizo quickly became popular among the court nobility
and later the common people. It was believed that in the long, long
period of time between Sakyamuni's death and the advent of Nyorai,
the Buddha of the future, only Jizo remained to protect and
save humanity.
Later, with the advent of Kamakura Buddhism, the nobility's veneration
of Jizo began to wane, but the common people retained their
faith, and figures of Jizo came to be placed at village boundaries,
crossroads, and along roadsides. The fond appellation, Ojizo-sama,
is believed to have taken hold around this time, particularly because
Jizo was thought to have a special affinity for children.
Figures of Jizo are often dressed with a bib. This practice
is believed to have begun when grieving parents who had lost a child
put the deceased child's bib on a Jizo statue in the hope
that he would protect their child in the other world. Related to
this is the custom of Jizo-bon, an event to commemorate Jizo
as the protector of children, which began in Kyoto and spread to
the surrounding Kinki region sometime in the Edo period(1603-1867).
Jizo-bon is a time for children to honor Jizo, but
it is also celebrated as a festival for children. There are more
than 5,000 statues of Jizo in Kyoto alone.
Reference:Hayami Tasuku, Kannon, Jizo, Fudo. Kodansha, 1996. |
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