Jizo statues go from house to house in obscure religious practice in Nara

By NORIHIDE FURUSAWA/ Staff Writer
April 25, 2016 at 11:05 JST

NARA--Generations of families have quietly passed down a mysterious religious practice in a mountainous area of western Japan where Buddhism was abolished long ago.

It is not known how or when the Buddhism-derived “Mikka Jizo” (Three days Jizo) practice started, nor exactly why and how it has survived over the years.

But if it had been uncovered in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), serious repercussions could have followed.

Throughout the year, two statues of Jizo, the guardian deity of children, are transferred from house to house every three days in Nara’s Nyucho district, about 20 kilometers east of the city’s downtown core. About 50 homes in Nyucho are involved in the Mikka Jizo practice, in which prayers are given for the healthy lives of the villagers’ children.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201604250006.html