Warabe Jizo in Nara

Although there are statues of this type in other cities, here in Nara you can see lots of them, in small groups in different parts of the city. They are the visual representation of a Buddhist deity who arrived in this country from continental Asia, through China. Traditionally, they protect children, pregnant women, the condemned, emigrants and pilgrims, and were placed at roadsides. In Japan, the figure is slightly different from in other countries; they also protect stillborn babies, or those who die in infancy. You can also see them in cemeteries.