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Lot Essay
The Bodhisattva Jizo (a derivation of the Indian Buddhist deity Ksitigarbha) is a merciful figure who alone among Buddhist deities moves through the six worlds of illusion in his role of saving all sentient beings. In compliance with his holy mission, he appears in the guise of a humble monk—shaven head, no adornments, dressed in the simple robe of a youthful cleric. His exalted status as a deity is indicated by the urna on his forehead and his long earlobes. A wish-granting jewel in his left hand (now missing in the Ellsworth example) signifies Jizo’s bestowal of blessings on all who suffer: it grants wishes, pacifies desires and brings clear understanding of Buddhist law.
Among Japan’s myriad deities, Jizo Bodhisattva is arguably the most widely known, easily recognized and actively venerated in modern times. Many Japanese believe Jizo will save them at any moment, in any situation, without any conditions or stipulations beyond faith. Even those who have already fallen into the pit of hell are promised assistance. This association between Jizo and the underworld persists even today. Jizo is embraced by nearly all schools of Buddhism and folk religion, and is evident in countless forms throughout contemporary Japan––from Child-Giving, Rice-Planting, Life-Prolonging Jizo to Splinter-Removing and Cough-Stopping Jizo. Many of these forms originated in the last five centuries and are unique to Japan. It is no exaggeration to say that nearly all Japanese localities have their own beloved Jizo statues, which are frequently given nicknames defining their specific functions. Despite a marked decline in religious institutions and individual piety in Japan in recent decades, Jizo continues to strike a visceral and resonant chord. His cult is everywhere. He remains, as Lafcadio Hearn wrote in 1894, “the most Japanese of all Japanese divinities.”
Jizo emerged as one of the most approachable and popular divinities in Japanese Buddhism during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Many of the statues are considered by locals as “living icons,” active agents of sacred power, not passive works of art. Jizo was worshipped as mankind’s savior from suffering and danger; as protector of the weak and humble (especially women and children); as redeemer from hell; and as guide of misled or wicked souls of the dead on their Six Paths (rokudo) of Transmigration. The embodiment of divine compassion, the name Jizo may be translated as “Earth Repository” or “Matrix of the Earth.” The firm belief in Jizo’s forsaking enlightenment to remain on this earth, and to descend into hell to save people from all walks of life, gave rise to the intense worship of the deity, beginning in the twelfth century.
For further discussion of Jizo statues and the dedicatory objects sealed inside such statues, see Helmut Brinker, Secrets of the Sacred: Empowering Buddhist Images in Clear, in Code, and in Cache (Lawrence, KS: Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, and London and Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011); Brinker, “Anointing with Eyes, Raiment and Relic: Insights from the Cologne Jizo,” Impressions 34 (2013); and Mark Schumacher, “Adapting to the Times: Jizo Statues from the Kamakura Pilgrimage Route,” Impressions 35 (2014). For Impressions, see www.japaneseartsoc.org.
Among Japan’s myriad deities, Jizo Bodhisattva is arguably the most widely known, easily recognized and actively venerated in modern times. Many Japanese believe Jizo will save them at any moment, in any situation, without any conditions or stipulations beyond faith. Even those who have already fallen into the pit of hell are promised assistance. This association between Jizo and the underworld persists even today. Jizo is embraced by nearly all schools of Buddhism and folk religion, and is evident in countless forms throughout contemporary Japan––from Child-Giving, Rice-Planting, Life-Prolonging Jizo to Splinter-Removing and Cough-Stopping Jizo. Many of these forms originated in the last five centuries and are unique to Japan. It is no exaggeration to say that nearly all Japanese localities have their own beloved Jizo statues, which are frequently given nicknames defining their specific functions. Despite a marked decline in religious institutions and individual piety in Japan in recent decades, Jizo continues to strike a visceral and resonant chord. His cult is everywhere. He remains, as Lafcadio Hearn wrote in 1894, “the most Japanese of all Japanese divinities.”
Jizo emerged as one of the most approachable and popular divinities in Japanese Buddhism during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Many of the statues are considered by locals as “living icons,” active agents of sacred power, not passive works of art. Jizo was worshipped as mankind’s savior from suffering and danger; as protector of the weak and humble (especially women and children); as redeemer from hell; and as guide of misled or wicked souls of the dead on their Six Paths (rokudo) of Transmigration. The embodiment of divine compassion, the name Jizo may be translated as “Earth Repository” or “Matrix of the Earth.” The firm belief in Jizo’s forsaking enlightenment to remain on this earth, and to descend into hell to save people from all walks of life, gave rise to the intense worship of the deity, beginning in the twelfth century.
For further discussion of Jizo statues and the dedicatory objects sealed inside such statues, see Helmut Brinker, Secrets of the Sacred: Empowering Buddhist Images in Clear, in Code, and in Cache (Lawrence, KS: Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, and London and Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011); Brinker, “Anointing with Eyes, Raiment and Relic: Insights from the Cologne Jizo,” Impressions 34 (2013); and Mark Schumacher, “Adapting to the Times: Jizo Statues from the Kamakura Pilgrimage Route,” Impressions 35 (2014). For Impressions, see www.japaneseartsoc.org.