Located near the Zojoji Temple this garden is dedicated to the safe growth of children but also a memorial to children miscarried and stillborn. The red knitted hats represent a protection for these children and to see the rows and rows of statues dressed in tiny clothing is nothing short of moving. As we walked through the garden a man paid his respects, lighting a candle and bowing in silent prayer - a scene which was extremely moving. This garden is a reminder that life is precious and should be cherished.

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At the outer edge of the Zōjō-ji grounds stands one of its most moving features: a long row of small Jizō statues, each dressed in a red bib and knitted hat, with a brightly coloured pinwheel placed beside it. Although modest in scale, this section of the temple conveys a deeper emotional resonance than many of its grander structures. The statues represent mizuko — unborn, lost or deceased children — and Jizō, as the guardian of children and travellers, is believed to guide and protect their spirits. Families and visitors maintain the statues with quiet regularity: replacing hats and bibs, placing flowers, and setting pinwheels that spin in the slightest movement of air. The red garments are not decorative but symbolic, meant to ward off suffering and to keep the children warm in the spiritual sense. The pinwheels, turning gently in the wind, add a sense of motion to a place devoted to remembrance; they are meant to comfort the spirits and mark that someone has come, seen and cared. When I visited, this part of the temple moved me deeply — not through grandeur, but through the simplicity of care embedded in every small statue and every pinwheel turning in the wind.

Beauty and sadness at the foot of the Tokyo Tower. For me, the most beautiful, saddest & unique part of the temple are these rows & rows of clothed & decorated Jizo statues, situated to the right of the main temple building. The statues represent the souls of unborn children: those who died before birth, as well as those yet to be born. Some of the statues here are well taken care of and obviously visited often, while others are neglected and alone.

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Peaceful quiet little park where the stone child figures are decorated with knitted wear. Also a little freaky.

千躰子育地蔵菩薩 (sendaikosodate jizou hosatsu) [Care Guardian Deities of Children]. Jizou is the patron deity of children and travelers. These jizo are erected and maintained for children lost in child birth or miscarriage. It is at one a solemn site while exuding a certain playfulness with the pinwheels.

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