Jizo statues and graves at Okunoin of Mount Koya, a sacred Buddhist site and cemetery. Opened in 835, it houses the mausoleum of Kūkai, founder of the Shingon school of esoteric Buddhism, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, East Asia

jizo statues graves okunin mount koya buddhist cemetery spirituality history japan wakayama shingon kuukai worship culture stones moss offerings sacred site peace meditation nature east asia pilgrimage tradition art landscape memorial serenity heritage tranquility community figures adornment beauty respect beliefs rituals stone carvings preservation environment faith ancestors reverence guardians