noun
Kōshin mound; roadside stone monument for Shōmen Kongō
A stone marker, often found along old roads, dedicated to the Buddhist deity Shōmen Kongō (青面金剛). Many are carved with the three wise monkeys (三猿). This is a specific cultural and historical term.
旧街道沿いに古い庚申塚が残っている。
An old Kōshin mound remains along the old highway.
この庚申塚には三猿が彫られている。
This Kōshin mound is carved with the three wise monkeys.
The three wise monkeys (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil) often carved on Kōshin mounds. 庚申塚 frequently features this motif.
From 庚申 (Kōshin, the 57th term in the sexagenary cycle, associated with the Kōshin faith) and 塚 (mound, monument). The exact historical derivation of the Kōshin faith is complex, but these stone markers were erected as part of folk religious practices.