expression, noun
Children's Limbo; Sai-no-Kawara
In Japanese Buddhist folklore, the riverbank in the underworld where children who died before their parents are said to pile stones as penance, only to have them knocked down by demons. Often used in the phrase 賽の河原の石積み.
賽の河原では、子供たちが小石を積んでは鬼に崩される。
At Sai-no-Kawara, children pile up pebbles only to have them knocked down by demons.
expression, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
futile effort; endless unrewarding toil
Figurative use likening a repetitive, seemingly pointless task to the stone-piling in the Buddhist limbo. Often used in the set phrase 賽の河原のような.
毎日同じ作業の繰り返しで、まるで賽の河原のような気分だ。
Repeating the same task every day feels like an endless, futile effort.