The Six Jizo Statues and Yatate Funerary Grounds 六地蔵と矢立の墓地林

Official explanation

Open-air burials were once held for the deceased in the Yatate area. This was a funerary practice in which bodies were placed on the ground so that birds and local wildlife could return the remains to nature. The funeral procession would come to this stone altar and intone prayers as the mourners circled the statues of the Buddhist guardian deity Jizo. During the rites, the body would be laid out on the flat rocks in front of the statues.

Visitors may notice that there are actually seven Jizo figures. The largest one is considered the leader of the smaller six, and so is left out of the count.

Read the full explanation

The nearest choishi stone marker is number 59.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.