Jizō
/ˈdʑiːzoː/noun
A Buddhist bodhisattva revered in Japan as a protector of children, travelers, and beings suffering in the afterlife.
Did you know?Jizō statues are often dressed with red bibs because red has long been associated in Japan with protection from illness, danger, and evil spirits.
Etymological Timeline
1st–2nd Century CE
Sanskrit
Kṣitigarbha
““Earth treasury” or “earth womb”; the name of the bodhisattva later known in East Asia as Jizō.”
6th Century CE
Chinese
地藏 Dìzàng
“The Chinese translation of Kṣitigarbha: “earth storehouse” or “earth treasury.””
7th–8th Century CE
Middle Chinese
地藏王 Dìzàng Wáng
““King Earth Treasury,” an honorific form used in Chinese Buddhist tradition.”
8th Century CE
Japanese
地蔵 Jizō
“The Japanese reading of the Chinese name 地藏, referring to the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha.”
Medieval Japan
Japanese
Jizō Bosatsu
““Bodhisattva Jizō,” increasingly associated with protecting travelers, children, and the dead.”
Modern English
English
Jizo/Jizō
“A Japanese Buddhist guardian figure, commonly represented as a stone statue wearing a red bib.”