Abbreviation of 地蔵菩薩. A bodhisattva widely venerated in Japan as a protector of children, travelers, and the deceased, often depicted as a monk with a staff and jewel.
Ksitigarbha statue for miscarried or aborted fetuses
Written forms
地蔵Usage95%
Standard kanji spelling for Jizō, the bodhisattva.
じぞうUsage5%
Etymology
From the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit name Kṣitigarbha, meaning 'earth womb' or 'earth store'. The Japanese reading じぞう is the on'yomi of the characters 地 (earth) and 蔵 (store).
