Jizo Making Class

In October calm

The breeze has its love affair

With a wind chime song.

Our hands form wet clay

As small jizo men emerge

To protect our homes.

Hands massage the clay

And clay fashions the senses.

We all smile out loud.

Eyes are hard to make.

I tool out shadows and then

Wipe away the tears.

The dolls stare at us.

As we potters eat our lunch,

Jizos wait for fire.

                                                            -- C. S. Cholas, October 1997

                                                                         Wailea, Hawai’i

NOTE: explanation: Between the death of the last Buddha (the historical Buddha Sakyamuni), and the birth of the next (Miroku) to come, Jizo remains on the earth to save the people. Usually, he is represented by a monk who carries a stick on the left hand and a chaplet on the right. He had been introduced from China to Japan during Heian period. Later, he has been associated with local gods (Dososhin or Dosojin) to become a protector of the children. His Sanskrit name is Ksitigharbha (womb of earth). Source: Free Light Software - language of the world – on-line Japanese dictionary