Dec 3rd TIL

I would like to dedicate this one to the jizobosatusu and Love for reminding me of them. Different religions look at stillborn children differently and most just ignore the situation all together. The subject of a child's death is hard for people to talk about so a lot (even religions) opt to not. I have always commended the Buddhist faith for their look on the topic w/ complete shrines that validate the loss and need for an outlet for the families.

The statue of the child is a jizobosatusu. They are protectors of the souls of stillborn children and the Buddhist equivalent of an angel. Mothers who have lost an unborn child usually dedicate an image of the deity and decorate it with baby clothes and toys. There are complete shrines for just this reason.

Think about how your are feeling right now. A lot of people's natural instinct is to think...why would you dress up a statue like your child. That is weird. No, it is part of the grief process. It is the same process as placing flowers or a favorite figurine at a Grave Site (which they don't have in Japan). There isn't a special place to go to remember you child other than your head. This gives a place and a location to see that you are not alone.