This beautifully carved Jizo is carved by a master carver from Bentiwas, a sustainably harvested wood.
Size: 10.5 inches tall.
The Story: Jizo Bodhisattva is the protector of women and children and helps people in and out of this life. In Japan and increasingly in other countries, he is a part of a ceremony called the Mizuko Kuyo Ceremony, for a child who has died before or within a year of birth. It provides a ritual form for the parent's grief for the child they lost. Yvonne Jikai Rand developed the ceremony in America. Part of the ceremony involves sewing a little red bib or hat for the little statue — in Japan, you see many little Jizo statues in stone and wood with little red bibs and hats. Jizo is said to go to the 6 realms to help beings in distress. The 6 rings on his staff symbolize these 6 Realms of Existence: gods (temporary pleasure), hell (pain and suffering), animal (ignorance), hungry ghost (desire), human (the rare opportunity to practice), and asuras (jealousy and fighting). The rings jingle to warn small animals to move so they are not hurt.
