Group of figures
Roku Jizō
六地蔵
A grouping of the Jizō whose role is to save people from the six realms, with a Jizō assigned to each of the six worlds.
This introduction is based on materials from Shōhōin (Tobi Fudō). It is summarized within the scope of the beliefs and traditions those materials convey, and does not present explanations or customs common to all schools, shrines, and temples.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
The name and role of the Roku Jizō
A grouping of the Jizō whose role is to save people from the six realms, with a Jizō assigned to each of the six worlds. It is a setting unique to Japan, and because there are various views and it is not fixed, it is listed as one example.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Tracing the form and traditions
It is said that attributes and forms came to be described concretely from around the late Heian period. The page lists twelve names, including Yotenga Jizō, Hōkōō Jizō, Kongōgan Jizō and Kongōhō Jizō.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Close to the suffering of the six worlds
The Six Jizō are a form of devotion to Jizō Bosatsu, who saves the beings of each of the six realms: hell, hungry ghosts, animals, ashura, humans and heavenly beings. They have been enshrined at places such as cemetery entrances, with prayers for the salvation of the dead. Seen together, the six figures express Jizō's work of bringing salvation to every circumstance.
Source: 浄土宗
The Six Jizō have more than one set of names
Shōhōin lists six figures including Yotenga Jizō, and another six including 地持地蔵. The combinations of names, forms and attributes are not fixed. This site also keeps the two sets separate; it does not mean that all twelve form a single set of Six Jizō.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：六地蔵」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：目次」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 浄土宗「新纂浄土宗大辞典：六地蔵」（2026-10-15 確認）
- 浄土宗「新纂浄土宗大辞典：六地蔵」（2026-10-15 確認）