jizōdō　地蔵堂

A temple hall where the Buddhist deity *Jizō 地蔵 (Sk. Ksitigarbha) is enshrined. He is a bodhisattva *bosatsu 菩薩 dedicated to rescuing souls trapped in realms of evil. He is especially popular as the protector of children and the souls of dead children. There is no established style of building to house a statue of Jizō. For example: A hexagonal (8.73 m per side) building *rokkaku endō 六角円堂 at Chōkōji 長光寺 (1510), Aichi Prefecture is a jizōdō. The Sanbutsuji Jizōdō 三仏寺地蔵堂 (Muromachi period) in Tottori Prefecture, is 3 × 4 bays (6.33 ×7.92 m), and is constructed in an overhang style kake zukuri 懸造. It is identical to the *monjudō 文殊堂 at the same temple. The Shōfukuji Jizōdō 正福寺地蔵堂 (1407) in Tokyo, is an excellent example of a typical 5 × 5 bay (8.12 ×8.12 m) Zen style building *zenshūyō 禅宗様. The Hōryūji Jizōdō 法隆寺地蔵堂 in Nara, is a small 3 × 3 bay (5.13 × 5.13 m) bay hall in ｗayō style *wayō 和様. The Shin'yakushiji Jizōdō 新薬師寺地蔵堂 (Kamakura period) in Nara, is a 1 × 1 bay hall (3.05 × 3.05 m) in ｗayō style. The Entakuji Jizōdō 塩沢寺地蔵堂 (Muromachi period) in Yamanashi Prefecture, is a 3 × 4 bay (6.36 × 7.27 m) structure with a mixture of Zen and ｗayō styles. These six Jizōdō are designated as important cultural properties.