Cutest Jizo statues

I wrote many times about the statues of Jizo, the Japanese deity, guardian of children and patron of deceased children. Represented as a Buddhist monk, with a simple robe and a shaved head, its face is always idealized, with a third eye and elongated ears, traditional attributes of an enlightened being.

Since in the Japanese folklore Jizo is hiding children under his robe, to protect them against evil spirits, he is often represented in a friendly and attractive form, as a chibi 「ちび」 (word describing a short person or child). And from the many photos I took with chibi Jizo statues, I think that these two, found in front of a restaurant from Taito-ku, Tokyo, are the cutest version…

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Jizo Statues

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Shinjuku I-Land Astronomical Clock