Jizo
Jizo is the Japanese name for the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. He is much-loved because of his kindness and compassion, and traditionally his role is to protect travellers. He is also said to guard children who died before their parents and therefore cannot cross the Sanzu River to the next life. Statues of Jizo are a common sight at roadsides as well as in the vicinity of shrines. They are sometimes dressed in red bibs and hats or children's clothes, which are given as offerings by parents of deceased children.
One legend states that the spirits of the children who cannot cross over stay on the bank of the Sanzu River, piling up stones in atonement; demons menace them and destroy their piles of stones, but Jizo hides the children in his cloak to protect them. As a result, people will sometimes make small piles of stones beside Jizo statues to help the deceased children.
In Fatal Frame
Jizo statues can be seen in the Old Tree in Fatal Frame II, where the dead Remaining are enshrined.
Piles of stones reminiscent of the abovementioned folklore can be seen at the bottom of the Abyss in Fatal Frame III, on Tsukiyomi Beach in Fatal Frame IV, and at Ukishima in Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake.
The Twilit Peak in Fatal Frame V is home to many Jizo statues, built to comfort the spirits of lost children who make their way up Mount Hikami.
References
Japanese Culture
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| Religion |
| Buddhism - Shinto |
| Japanese Ghosts/Creatures |
| Funayūrei - Goryō - Hitodama - Ikiryō - Onryō - Ubume - Yōkai - Yūrei |
| Specific Japanese Ghosts/Creatures |
| Oiwa - Okiku - Yuki-onna |
| Terms |
| Dosojin - Grave Mound - Hannya Mask - Higanbana - Jizo - Kaidan - Miko - Mukoyōshi - Sanzu River - Shimenawa - Toro-Nagashi - Wara Ningyo |
| Locations |
| Northeastern Japan - Shizuoka - Sugisawa Village - Tono |
| Media and Entertainment |
| Kagome, Kagome - Ringu |