This is a closer shot of these [link] statues. They are statues dedicated to Jizou at Zojo-ji (Zojo Temple). Jozou most well known role in Japanese relegion is as the guardian of unborn, stillborn, miscarried, and aborted babies. In Japanese mythology, it is said that the souls of children who die before their parents are unable to cross the mythical Sanzu River on their way to the afterlife because they have not had the chance to accumulate enough good deeds and because they have made the parents suffer. It is believed that Jizō saves these souls from having to pile stones eternally on the bank of the river as penance, by hiding them from demons in his robe, and letting them hear mantras. (Incidentally he is also the protector of expectant mothers, children, firemen, travelers, pilgrims, and the protector of all beings caught in the six realms of reincarnation, f.y.i.) All of these little images were donated by mothers and families to protect the souls of children that they have lost to the above 3 mentioned tragedies.