Bake-jizo

ばけじぞう

Bake-jizo

Bake-jizo

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Basic Description

Bake-jizo (Ghost Jizo) is a group of Jizo statues lined up along the banks of Kanmangafuchi Abyss in the Daiya River valley of Nikko. Because "the number never matches when counted," they are called Bake-jizo, or Narabi Jizo (Lined-up Jizo). It is said that the count taken on the way there and the count taken on the way back will never match, making it impossible to know the exact number. Rather than being considered a yokai in the traditional sense, it is a "counting mystery" born in a place of faith—the sheer inexplicability of something that is clearly there but cannot be fully grasped by numbers has been spoken of as an anomaly. The group of stone Buddha statues lined up in this scenic spot formed by the lava of Mount Nantai, combined with the tranquility of the sacred ground, causes a dizziness of numbers in those who visit.

Folklore & Legends

The Jizo statues of Kanmangafuchi Abyss are said to have been carved and arranged by the disciples of Jigen Daishi Tenkai, who restored Mount Nikko, and originally numbered around one hundred. Many were washed away by the flooding of the Daiya River caused by the Ashio Typhoon in 1902 (Meiji 35), leaving about seventy today. The fact that the number remains unfixed is partly due to the actual history of how they were washed away and later restored, disrupting their arrangement, but people saw in this the taboo of a sacred ground where things "must not be counted" or "cannot be counted." Similar "uncountable" mysteries are told of Jizo statues, stone pagodas, and bridge pilings in various regions, where the inability to determine an exact number is taken as a sign of sacredness and awe. The name of the gorge derives from "Kanman," the ending of Fudo Myoo's mantra, and Sanskrit characters said to have been carved by Kobo Daishi are engraved on the rock wall on the opposite shore, indicating that this entire abyss has been an ancient sacred domain.

Detailed Analysis

Along the banks of Kanmangafuchi Abyss, Jizo statues wearing red bibs line the river. Walking while counting them one by one, and counting them once more on the way back, the numbers somehow do not match—hence they are called Bake-jizo (Ghost Jizo) and Narabi Jizo (Lined-up Jizo). The sight of moss-covered stone Buddhas quietly sitting in this rugged gorge carved from the lava of Mount Nantai evokes a sense of time distortion unique to sacred grounds. Many Jizo were washed away by a flood during the Meiji era, and only their pedestals remain here and there in the broken lines. In the single aspect of not being able to determine their number, this is indeed an anomaly, while simultaneously remaining a place of deep prayer.

Character Profile

This section is our own creative profile for storytelling. It is not historical fact or scholarship.

Category
Spirit/Ghost
Rarity
Rare
Personality
Does not cause harm, but merely quietly distorts the count. Without anger or curse, it gently eludes the visitor's desire to count them.
Compatibility
Affines with the tranquility of sacred grounds and watersides. Those who restlessly seek numbers and reason become more deeply entangled in its dizziness.
Abilities
Distorting numbersCausing uncountable dizziness
Weaknesses
As it causes no curse or actual harm, it is an object of awe but never an object to be eradicated.
Habitat
Kanmangafuchi Abyss along the Daiya River in Nikko. A sacred gorge formed by the lava of Mount Nantai.

🔮Yokai Compatibility Test

For more detailed information and diagnosis results about Narabi Jizo of Kanmangafuchi Abyss, Whose Number Changes Every Time They Are Counted, please click here.

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