Visit Japan Web Kanmangafuchi Abyss
Visit Japan Web invites you to explore Kanmangafuchi Abyss, formed by an eruption of nearby Mount Nantai. This gorge near central Nikko is only a few hundred meters long. Visitors can enjoy it from a pleasant riverside walking trail.
In the wooded area of Japan’s Kanmangafuchi abyss, there stands a row of stone Jizo statues. The exact number remains unknown, as each attempt to count them leads to a different result due to their routine disappearance.
These mysterious statues are known as Bake Jizo or Narabi Jizo. They are Bodhisattva figures that serve as protectors of travelers and children. The Bodhisattva is an enlightened being deferring the path to becoming a Buddha in order to aid the living on earth. If you encounter these statues, feel free to share your experience as you attempt to count them.
In Buddhism, Jizo is a significant Bodhisattva. According to the tradition, upon their death, children would go to Sai-no-kawara. It is the dried-up bed of the river of souls in the underworld. Due to their limited experience, they are required to construct small towers of stones, with each tower symbolizing a prayer. However, every night the devils, known as oni, come and destroy these towers, compelling the young souls to start anew.
Nevertheless, Jizo intervenes to help them. He roams around and conceals the children in his red bibs, ensuring their safety. The choice of red bibs may be rooted in earlier times. During the Asuka period, there was a tradition of children with illnesses like chicken pox wearing red bibs to differentiate them from other children. Moreover, red is also regarded as a color symbolizing protection and security.
