Kṣitigarbha

Kṣitigarbha (Sanskrit: क्षितिगर्भ, Chinese: 地藏; pinyin: Dìzàng; Japanese: 地蔵; rōmaji: Jizō; Korean: 지장 (地藏); romaja: Jijang; Vietnamese: Địa Tạng (地藏), Standard Tibetan: ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ་ Wylie: sa yi snying po) is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb". Kṣitigarbha is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.

Kṣitigarbha
Sanskrit	क्षितिगर्भ IAST: Kṣitigarbha
Chinese	地藏菩萨, 地藏菩薩 Jyutping: Dei6 zong6 pou4 saat3 Pinyin: Dìzàng Púsà
Japanese	じぞうぼさつ, 地藏菩薩 Romaji: Jizō Bosatsu
Korean	지장보살 RR: Jijang Bosal
Russian	Кшитигарбха ALA-LC: Kshitigarbkha
Tagalog	Ksitigaba
Thai	พระกษิติครรภโพธิสัตว์
Tibetan	ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ་ THL: Sa Yi Nyingpo
Vietnamese	Địa Tạng Bồ Tát
Information
Venerated by	Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna
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Usually depicted as a monk with either a halo or a crown bearing images of the Five Tathāgatas around his shaved head, he carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness.

Overview

Ceramic statue of Kṣitigarbha in the Nguyễn dynasty, 19th century.

Kṣitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas along with Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism.

At the pre-Tang dynasty grottos in Dunhuang and Longmen, he is depicted in a classical bodhisattva form. After the Tang, he became increasingly depicted as a monk carrying Buddhist prayer beads and a staff.

His full name in Chinese is Dayuan Dizang Pusa (Chinese: 大願地藏菩薩; pinyin: Dàyuàn Dìzàng Púsà), or "Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva of the Great Vow," pronounced Daigan Jizō Bosatsu in Japanese, Jijang Bosal in Korean, Đại Nguyện Địa Tạng Vương Bồ Tát in Vietnamese. This name is a reference to his pledge, as recorded in the sutras, to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds in the era between the parinirvana of the Buddha and the rise of Maitreya. Because of this important role, shrines to Kṣitigarbha often occupy a central role in temples, especially within the memorial halls or mausoleums.

Scriptural sources

As a Brahmin maiden

The story of Kṣitigarbha was first described in the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra, a popular Mahayana sutra. This sutra is said to have been spoken by the Buddha towards the end of his life to the beings of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as a mark of gratitude and remembrance for his beloved mother, Maya. The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra begins, "Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was abiding in Trayastrimsas Heaven in order to expound the Dharma to his mother."^[1]

The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra was first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese between 695 and 700 CE, during the Tang dynasty, by the Tripiṭaka master Śikṣānanda,^[2] a Buddhist monk from Khotan who also provided a new translation of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. However, some scholars have suspected that instead of being translated, this text may have originated in China, since no Sanskrit manuscripts of this text have been found. Part of the reason for suspicion is that the text advocates filial piety, which was stereotypically associated with Chinese culture. It stated that Kṣitigarbha practised filial piety as a mortal, which eventually led to making great vows to save all sentient beings. Since then, other scholars such as Gregory Schopen have pointed out that Indian Buddhism also had traditions of filial piety.^[3] Currently there is no definitive evidence indicating either an Indian or Chinese origin for the text.

In the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, the Buddha states that in the distant past eons, Kṣitigarbha was a maiden of the Brahmin caste by the name of Sacred Girl.^[4][5] This maiden was deeply troubled upon the death of her mother, who had often been slanderous towards the Three Jewels.^[6]

Kṣitigarbha painting, Goryeo, late 14th century.

Iconography

Traditional iconography

In Buddhist iconography, Kṣitigarbha is typically depicted with a shaven head, dressed in a monk's simple robes (unlike most other bodhisattvas, who are dressed like Indian royalty).

In his left hand, Kṣitigarbha holds a tear-shaped jewel or cintamani (Chinese: 如意寶珠; pinyin: Rúyì bǎozhū; Japanese pronunciation: Nyoihōju), which is a wish-granting jewel that symbolizes enlightenment or salvation. In his right hand, he holds a Khakkhara (Chinese: 錫杖; pinyin: Xīzhàng; Japanese pronunciation: Shakujō), which is used to alert insects and small animals of his approach so that he will not accidentally harm them as well as to open the gates of Hell.^[7]. This staff is traditionally carried by Buddhist monks. Like other bodhisattvas, Kṣitigarbha usually is seen standing on a lotus base, symbolizing his release from rebirth. Kṣitigarbha's face and head are also idealised, featuring the third eye, elongated ears and the other standard attributes of a buddha. He is frequently shown wearing a plain monk’s robe and standing on a lotus base, reflecting purity and spiritual liberation.

In the Chinese tradition, Kṣitigarbha is often depicted wearing a Five Buddha crown (Chinese: 五佛冠, pinyin: Wǔfó Guān), which is a crown that bears the images of the Five Tathāgatas. His image is similar to that of the fictional character Tang Sanzang from the classical novel Journey to the West, so observers sometimes mistake Kṣitigarbha for the latter. In China, Kṣitigarbha is also sometimes accompanied by a dog. This is in reference to a legend that he found his mother reborn in the animal realm as a dog named Diting, which the Bodhisattva adopted to serve as his steed and guard.

In Japan, Kṣitigarbha's statues are often adorned with bibs, kerchiefs or kasa hat on his head, and sometimes dressed with a haori. Tōsen-ji in Katsushika, Tokyo, contains the "Bound Kṣitigarbha" of Ōoka Tadasuke fame, dating from the Edo period. When petitions are requested before Kṣitigarbha, the petitioner ties a rope about the statue. When the wish is granted, the petitioner unties the rope. At the new year, the ropes of the ungranted wishes are cut by the temple priest.

Kṣitigarbha as Lord of the Six Ways

Painting of Kṣitigarbha as the Lord of the Six Ways from Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.

Another category of iconographic depiction is Kṣitigarbha as the Lord of the Six Ways, an allegorical representation of the Six Paths of Rebirth of the Desire realm (rebirth into hell, or as pretas, animals, asuras, men, and devas). The Six Paths are often depicted as six rays or beams radiating from the bodhisattva and accompanied by figurative representations of the Six Paths. Many of these depictions in China can be found in Shaanxi province, perhaps a result of Sanjiejiao teachings in the area.^[8]

A Japanese variation of this depiction is the Six Kṣitigarbhas, six full sculptural manifestations of the bodhisattva. An example of this can be found in Konjikidō, the ‘Hall of Gold,’ in the Chūson-ji temple.

In Buddhist traditions

Chinese traditions

Statue of Dizang at Shishuang Temple in Hunan, China. Depicted with a Five-Buddha crown.

In certain Chinese Buddhist legends, the arhat Mulian (目連) acts as an assistant to Ksitigarbha, known as Dizang, in his vow to save the denizens of hell. As a result, Mulian is usually also venerated in temples that enshrine Dizang. In folk beliefs, Dizang has a mount called Diting, who is a divine beast that can distinguish good from evil, virtuous and foolish. In iconographic form, it is often enshrined at the side of Ksitigarbha, or portrayed with Ksitigarbha riding on its back as a mount.

Due to his scriptural row as a saviour of hell-beings and his vow of not attaining Buddhahood until the hells are empty, Dizang is commonly invoked in Chinese Buddhist rituals involving the salvific liberations of sentient beings in saṃsāra, such as the Yujia Yankou rite and the Shuilu Fahui ceremony.^[9][10]

In some areas, the admixture of traditional religions has led to Kṣitigarbha being also regarded as a deity in Taoism and Chinese folk religion. Kṣitigarbha Temples (Chinese: 地藏庵; pinyin: Dìzàng'ān) are Taoist temples that usually enshrine Kṣitigarbha as the main deity, along with other gods typically related to the Chinese netherworld Diyu, such as Yanluo Wang and Heibai Wuchang. Believers usually visit these temples to pray for the blessings of the ancestors and the souls of the dead.^[11] The 30th day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar is celebrated as his birthday.^[12]

Association with Mount Jiuhua

Colossal statue of Dizang bodhisattva at his bodhimaṇḍa of Mount Jiuhua in Anhui, China.

Chinese Buddhist traditions hold that Mount Jiuhua, one of the Four Sacred Mountains of China, was chosen by Dizang himself to serve as his bodhimaṇḍa. These traditions stem from historical accounts from biographical sources such as the Jiuhua shan Huacheng si ji (九華山化城寺記, lit: "Record of Huacheng Monastery on Mt. Jiuhua") by Fei Guanqing (費冠卿, active circa 9th century) and the Song gaoseng zhuan (宋高僧傳, lit: "Biographies of Eminent Monks of the Song dynasty") by the scholar monk Zanning^[zh] (贊寧, 919-1001).^[13]

During the Tang dynasty (618-709), Buddhism flourished and spread widely across China, eventually spreading to Korea. At the time, monks and scholars arrived from those countries to seek the dharma in China. One of these pilgrims was a former prince from Silla named Kim Gyo-gak, who became a monk under the Chinese name Dizang ("Kṣitigarbha"), pronounced Jijang in Korean.^[14] He went to Mount Jiuhua in present-day Anhui. After ascending, he decided to build a hut in a deep mountain area so that he could cultivate the dharma. At one point, the goddess of Mount Jiuhua transformed herself into a scorpion and stung Jijang seriously. However, he remained unaffected and continued his practice without interruption.^[13] Touched by his perseverance and religious piety, the goddess eventually manifested herself before Jijang and apologized to him, providing him with a medicinal antidote and fresh spring water for his use.^[13]

For a few years, Jijang continued to meditate in his hut, until one day, a local nobleman surnamed Zhuge (諸葛) led a group of friends and family to visit the mountain.^[15] Noticing the monk meditating in the hut, they went and took a look at his condition. They had noticed that his bowl did not contain any food, and that his hair had grown back. Taking pity on the monk, Zhuge decided to build a temple as an offering to him.^[15][16] The whole group descended the mountain immediately to discuss plans to build the temple. Mount Jiuhua was also property of a wealthy person named Minrang (閔讓), who obliged to build a temple on his mountain.^[16] Therefore, Minrang and the group ascended the mountain once more and asked Jijang how much land he needed. Jijang replied that he needed a piece of land that could be covered fully by his kasaya. Initially believing that a piece of sash could not provide enough land to build a temple, they were surprised when Jijang threw the kasaya in the air, and the robe expanded in size, covering the entire mountain.^[15][16] Minrang then decided to renounce the entire mountain to Jijang, and became his protector.^[16] Sometime later, Minrang's son also left secular life to become a monk.^[16]

Jijang lived in Mount Jiuhua for 75 years before passing away at the age of 99. Three years after his nirvana, his tomb was opened, only to reveal that the body had not decayed. Because Jijang led his wayplace with much difficulty, most people had the intuition to believe that he was indeed an incarnation of Dizang. Jijang's well-preserved, dehydrated body may still be viewed today at the Shrine of the Living Buddha on Mount Jiuhua.

Japanese traditions

Kṣitigarbha (or in Japanese, Jizō) statue at Osorezan (Mt. Osore), Aomori.

In Japan, Kṣitigarbha, known as Jizō, or respectfully as Ojizō-sama, is one of the most loved of all Japanese divinities. According to legend, the first Jizō-statue was introduced in Japan in the reign of emperor Shōmu in the Nara period. However, while records exist that indicate a Jizō-statue in the Tōdai-ji, the existence of these statues in former times is probable but no evidence has yet been discovered.^[17] Jizō’s worship developed significantly and became more widespread in Japan during the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods. During these periods, people were afraid of the period that is known as mappō, the decline and disappearance of Dharma, which was propagated by Pure Land Buddhism as a period in which it is impossible to understand the original Buddhist teachings anymore and attain enlightenment through traditional means.^[18] This foundation supported the role among people of Kṣitigarbha as he helped those who were in danger of falling into hell realm in hearing their confessions and to ensure their salvation.^[17] One of the widespread practices of Kṣitigarbha-worship in Japan was the citation and copying of the Lotus Sutra as it promised benefits in the present and future. Kṣitigarbha satisfied those immediate needs and the mundane wishes of worshippers to the extent of delivering them to the Pure Land of Amida in the times of declining Dharma.^[19] The Konjaku Monogatarishū includes many tales about him and another collection of tales, Jizō Bosatsu Reigenki, consists of twenty-five stories that focus on miracles performed by Jizō. The devotees described in these stories recite the Lotus Sutra.^[20]

The statue at Kenchō-ji Temple, crafted in the 15th century, signifies the longstanding tradition of enshrining Jizō where the doomed or suffering were memorialized.^[21] Artistic examinations, such as Hank Glassman’s The Face of Jizō, reveal how medieval Japanese society integrated Jizō imagery into both elite and folk religious practice, blending Buddhist doctrine with local traditions and boundary guardian cults (like Dōsojin).^[22]

In contemporary Japan, His statues are a common sight, especially by roadsides and in graveyards. Jizō is celebrated as the protector of children (including deceased and unborn), travelers, pilgrims, and the souls suffering in the realms of the dead. He is usually depicted as a humble monk holding a staff with six rings and a wish-fulfilling jewel.^[23]

Ryōki

Jizō bodhisattva statue at Mibu-dera temple, depicted with children and bibs. Japan.

Jizō bodhisattva statue by Unkei. Rokuharamitsu-ji temple. 12th century. Japan.

The Ryōki (c. 822 CE), the earliest known collection of setsuwa or tales, contains a story about Fujiwara Hirotari. After he dies he catches sight of his wife suffering in the Land After Death, and with the aid of Jizō he returns to life and lifts the burden of suffering from his wife by copying the Lotus Sutra.^[17]

Children's limbo legend

In the common tradition associated with the Sai no Kawara (賽の河原), the banks of the Sanzu River, Jizō is portrayed as the protector of the souls of dead children, who are condemned to stack piles of stones, in vain, since the piles are repeatedly toppled by oni or demons. In a later version recorded by Lafcadio Hearn, the oni not only wreck the stone piles, but torment the children, who find refuge in Jizō's robes.^[24] In an earlier version, found in the Fuji no hitoana no sōshi (富士人穴草子; "The Tale of the Fuji Cave", c. 1600 or earlier), c. 1600 or earlier^[a] when the dead children pile stones at the Sai no Kawara, winds and flames are the agents knocking down the stone piles, and the flames reduce the children to cremated bones, to be revived by Jizō (or by the oni).^[25][26][b]

Sentai-Jizō or 1000 Jizō Statues at Nasu, Tochigi. This landscape is compared to Sai no Kawara.

This concept of Sai no Kawara, or children's limbo, first appeared in the Otogizōshi during the Muromachi Period,^[27] and the "Tale of the Fuji Cave", discussed above, is part of the Otogizōshi.^[28] However, the concept had been developed much earlier, being associated with the priest Kūya in the 10th century.^[24] The legend was then connected with Kūya and his wasan, or chanting, probably some time in the 17th century, creating the Jizō wasan.^[29] As for the identification of certain this-worldly features with the Sai no Kawara, as on the mountain Osorezan in northeastern Japan,^[30] the establishment of Jizō worship there occurred during the late Tokugawa Period, in the early to mid-18th century,^[31] despite temple pamphlets (engi, or accounts of the founding of temples) claiming that it dates back to the 9th century, when the priest Ennin supposedly established a place of worship for Jizō at Osorezan, then known as Usorizan.^[32]

Lost pregnancies

Jizō is also worshipped as the guardian of the souls of mizuko ("water children"), stillborn, miscarried, or aborted children, in the ritual of mizuko kuyō (水子供養; "offering to water children"). In this context, he is worshipped under the form of Mizuko Jizō.

Offerings

A small shrine of Kosodate-Jizō or Childcare-Kṣitigarbha at Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Statues of Jizō are sometimes accompanied by piles of stones placed on or by them in the hope that the time that dead children have to suffer in the underworld may be shortened.^[24] The practice is derived from the tradition of building stupas as an act of merit-making. Jizō is seen as the guardian of children in general, but in particular of children who died before their parents. Statues of Jizō can sometimes be seen wearing children's clothing or bibs, or with toys brought by grieving parents to help their lost ones, in the hope that Jizō will protect them. Sometimes the offerings are given by parents to thank Jizō for saving their children from serious illness. Jizō's features are commonly made to resemble those of the children he protects.

Agonashi Jizō

Lit. = Jizō without a Jaw. Also known as Shitsu Heiyu 歯痛平癒地蔵 (Jizō who Heals Toothaches). Says Gabi Greve:

In the year 1870, the temple 伴桂寺 at Oki Island 隠岐島 had to close down. The last priest of the temple had been a disciple of the head prist of the Hagi Temple in Osaka, so he gave all his temple treasures to Hagi Temple, including a statue of the "Jizō without a Jaw" reportedly made by Ono no Takamura 小野篁 (802–853), a scholar and poet of Heian Japan. Two years later a special hall was built for the statue, which is now a secret (hibutsu 秘仏) statue and only shown once a year to the public.” Gabi continues: ”Once upon a time in the city of Kanawa in Omiya town on the island of Oki, there lived a man who had a painful toothache. For three days, he was crying all day long 'my tooth aces, my tooth aces so much!' He could not sleep at night and not eat during the day because of the pain. In the end he pulled out his jaw, threw it away - and died. But then, how wonderful, he was reborn as a Bodhisattva. The pious people of Oki Island then made a wooden statue of Jizō without a chin and prayed to it when they got a toothache. Soon people from far away also came to pray for healing, and as a gift of gratitude placed one NASHI (pear) into a nearby river or lake or the ocean. This is a pun on the word NASHI (pear) and NASHI (without, to not have) -- in this case, to not have a toothache.

Roadside god

Jizō is also believed to be one of the protective deities of travellers,^[33] the dōsojin,^[34] and roadside statues of Jizō are a common sight in Japan. Firefighters are also believed to be under his protection.

Korean painting of Kṣitigarbha as supreme ruler of the Underworld, late 18th century.

Korean Joseon dynasty painting of Bodhisattva Jijang (Kṣitigarbha) and the Ten Kings of Hell.

Southeast Asian traditions

Statue of Phra Malai from the Phra Malai Manuscript of Thailand, c. 1860-1880.

In Theravada Buddhism, the story of a bhikkhu named Phra Malai with similar qualities to Kṣitigarbha is well known throughout Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand and Laos. Legend has it that he was an arhat from Sri Lanka who achieved great supernatural powers through his own merit and meditation. He is also honoured as a successor to Mahāmoggallāna, the Buddha's disciple foremost for his supernatural attainments. In the story, this pious and compassionate monk descends to Hell to give teachings and comfort the suffering hell-beings there. He also learns how the hell-beings are punished according to their sins in the different hells.^[35]

Mantra

First page of Vietnamese Mahayana sutra Kṣitigarbha (Địa tạng Bồ Tát bản nguyện kinh), written in chữ Nho which was printed 300+ years ago.

In mainstream Chinese Buddhism and Japanese Shingon Buddhism, the mantra of Kṣitigarbha comes from the "Treasury of Mantras" section of the Mahavairocana Tantra. The effect of this mantra is producing the "Samadhi Realm of Adamantine Indestructible Conduct." This mantra is the following:^[36]

Namaḥ samantabuddhānāṃ, ha ha ha, sutanu svāhā^[36]

Other mantras

• Mantra of Eliminating Fixed Karma:

ॐ प्रमर्दने स्वाहा - Oṃ pramardane svāhā

In Chinese, this mantra is called miè dìngyè zhēnyán in pinyin (滅定業真言). It reads:

嗡鉢囉末鄰陀寧娑婆訶; Ōng bō là mò lín tuó níng suō pó hē

• In Chinese Buddhism, the following mantra is associated with Kṣitigarbha:

南無地藏王菩薩; Ná mó Dìzàng wáng pú sà

• In Korean Buddhism, the following mantra is associated with Kṣitigarbha:

Namo Jijang Bosal

• In Tibetan Buddhism, the following mantras are associated with Kṣitigarbha:

Oṃ Kṣitigarbha Bodhisatvāya ༄༅།། ༀ་ཀྵི་ཏི་གརྦྷ་བོ་དྷི་ས་ཏྭཱ་ཡ།།

Oṃ Ha Ha Ha Vismaye Svāhā ༄༅།། ཨོཾ་ཧ་ཧ་ཧ་བིསྨ་ཡེ་སྭཱ་ཧཱ།།

• In Shingon Buddhism, a mantra used in public religious services is:^[37]

On kakaka bisanmaei sowaka オン カカカ ビサンマエイ ソワカ

• In Sanskrit:

ॐ ह ह ह विस्मये स्वाहा Oṃ ha ha ha vismaye svāhā ཨོཾ་ཧ་ཧ་ཧ་བིསྨ་ཡེ་སྭཱ་ཧཱ།

Om! Ha ha ha! O wondrous one! svāhā!

嗡，哈哈哈，溫三摩地梭哈; Ōng hā hā hā wēn sān mó dì suō hā

Haiku & Senryū

Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha in Hsiang-Te Temple, Taiwan.

蛞蝓に
口を吸われた
石地蔵
 

—part of a Senryū

Translation:

The stone image of Jizō
kissed on the mouth
by a slug
 

雀の子
地蔵の袖に
かくれけり
 

—haiku by Issa 1814

Translation:

The young sparrows
return into Jizō's sleeve
for sanctuary
 

なでしこや
地蔵菩薩の
跡先に
 

—haiku by Issa

Translation:

Blooming pinks
behind and in front
of Saint Jizō
 

秋の暮
辻の地蔵に
油さす
 

—haiku by Buson

Translation:

In autumn dusk
at the wayside shrine for the Jizō image
I pour more votive oil
 

In popular culture

• The Saviour Monk is a 1975 Hong Kong film starring David Tang wei as Dizang-wang (Ksitigarbha king), and Doris lung Chun-Erh. The film was directed by Liang Che-Fu. By 2020, the movie has been digitally restored by the Hong Kong Embassy In The Philippines and the University of the Philippines Film Institute.
• The vandalism of a Kṣitigarbha statue is the central theme of The Locker, a 2004 Japanese horror and thriller film directed by Kei Horie.
• In the 1988 video game Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario and Luigi gain the ability to turn into Kṣitigarbha statues. This ability returns in the 2011 video game Super Mario 3D Land. Additionally, multiple Kṣitigarbha statues appear in Super Mario Odyssey.
• In the 2004 video game Ninja Gaiden, a defaced Kṣitigarbha statue can be found in Ryu Hayabusa's village, with its head knocked off. If Hayabusa replaces the head, the statue's cintamani becomes a "Life of the Gods" item that can extend his maximum health.
• In the 2004 Hong Kong drama My Date with a Vampire III, Ksitigarbha was portrayed by Ricky Chan, also known as Ma Siu-Fu, Ma Siu-Ling's twin brother. He starts a romance with Chang'e and is unaware that she has actually been going around killing people when she cannot control her vampire bloodlust. Later in the series, he is revealed to be the reincarnation of the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha (地藏王; Dìzàng Wáng), who presides over the Underworld and relentlessly tries to help the souls of the damned get out of Hell. He helps the protagonists in their quest to stop Yaochi Shengmu and Fuxi from fighting and ending the world.
• In the 2022 video game Ghostwire: Tokyo, praying to Kṣitigarbha statues (referenced as Jizo statues in-game) allows the player to carry more ether, which is used to attack enemies.
• In The House of the Lost on the Cape, the ojizōsama play a crucial role in restoring hope to a region devastated by a tsunami.
• In the 1988 Studio Ghibli animated film My Neighbor Totoro, the character Mei (who has become lost in the countryside) is found by her older sister Satsuki while waiting by a Jizo statue.

Notable Iconography

• A 13th-century Jizō statue by the renowned sculptor Kaikei—originally at Kōfuku-ji and now in the Met Museum—represents exquisite Kamakura realism in Buddhist sculpture.^[38]
• Also at the Met: a richly adorned 1291 Jizō intended for Kōfuku-ji, crafted from hinoki wood with gold leaf and rock crystal eyes, typifying devotional artistry of the era.^[39]
• A medieval copper relief shows Jizō presiding over the Ten Kings of Hell, reminding judges to temper justice with compassion.^[40]

See also

• Avalokitesvara, Samantabhadra & Manjusri
• Atago Gongen
• Butsu Zone, a manga in which Kṣitigarbha is a main character
• Diting
• Dizang of Mount Jiuhua
• Karuṇā (Brahmavihara)
• King Yama & Yanluo Wang
• Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra
• Maliyadeva
• Mizuko kuyō
• Mount Jiuhua & Kim Gyo-gak
• Phra Malai Kham Luang

Explanatory notes

1. The earliest extant texts are c. 1600, and Kimbrough (2006) uses a copy dated 1603 formerly in the Akagi Bunko collection.^[25] But the work is known to have existed by 1527.^[25]
2. Kimbrough's version (2006) translated from a manuscript dated to 1603 is wanting in some details, such as the children stacking up stones into "stone towers" (石の塔), and the "evil wind" (悪風) knocking down the towers, forcing the children to reassemble them, after which the flames arrive; Jizō then recites a chant and restores the children.