Kṣitigarbha at Byodoji

The Jizō of Byodoji is a bronze seated statue made around 1750 with donations from the people of Tsuyama in Okayama. He holds a monk's staff (shakujō) in his right hand and a wish-fulfilling jewel (hōju) in his left, and sits on a lotus pedestal.

The temple grounds also enshrine the Horidashi Jizō, "the unearthed Jizō," said to have been dug up by Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai). It is held to be a stone statue about 1,200 years old and stands beside the well where the sacred water of Kōbō springs.

At Byodoji, we offer Jizō prayers for children and the departed: for a child's healthy growth, for children lost before birth (mizuko kuyō), and for ancestors.

Jizō wears no jeweled crown and is shown as a monk with a shaved head. In the form of a renunciant, the kind of monk closest to ordinary people, he walks through the six realms and stands beside those who suffer. He has long been cherished in the form that holds a monk's staff in the right hand and a wish-fulfilling jewel in the left.

The Sutra of the Original Vow of Kṣitigarbha teaches Jizō's original vow: he will become a Buddha himself only at the very last, after saving every suffering being. In Japan he has been widely revered as the one who guides the departed and protects young children.

The 24th is Jizō's ennichi, his day of special connection. On the night of the 24th of each month, Byodoji performs the Jizō goma before Jizō.

In the goma, the wisdom-fire (chika), which represents the Buddha's wisdom, is kindled, and wishes such as a child's healthy growth, mizuko kuyō, and memorials for ancestors are entrusted to it. The date and time, the offering amount, and how to apply are on the goma page.