These exquisite figurines represent the Rokujizo in Buddhism, each responsible for one of the Six Paths of Transmigration: Hell, Hunger, Beasts, Carnage, Humans, and Heaven. They save people from suffering and disasters. Worship of Jizo was popular among nobles in the 12th century and spread to the common people around the 17th century. These statues were originally placed in a crematory in Takayama-shi Soyuji-cho. They were crafted around 1740 to pray for the souls of the deceased.
 
                                 
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