STATUE OF KOYASU ENMEI JIZO

Image:STATUE OF KOYASU ENMEI JIZO

Koyasu Enmei is a depiction of the bodhisattva Jizo, savior of sentient beings and protector of children. This statue, the principal object of worship at Shorinji, is modeled after a wooden version created by the Buddhist monk Monshun in the eighteenth century. At the time, many women in his area suffered from difficult childbirths, including his own sisters. Monshun set out on a pilgrimage across Japan to pray for them, carrying the wooden sculpture on his back for more than four years. When his pilgrimage was over, Monshun donated the statue to Shorinji, where it became the basis for the present granite version. Even today, it draws female worshippers praying for safe childbirth.

  • Image:STATUE OF KOYASU ENMEI JIZO
  • Image:STATUE OF KOYASU ENMEI JIZO