Traffic cones are roadside eyesores. But in Japan, there are spiritual ones, depicting the guardian of travelers and children.
On Japanese roads, stone Jizo Bosatsu statues are ubiquitous. If you’ve taken a walk in the city or a hike in the countryside, you’ve come across a Jizo statue, often wearing hats or bibs.
津田散策その3
ミニお遍路さん。
山をぐるっと回る道にお地蔵さんが並んであり、それぞれ四国八十八ヶ所に対応しているそうな。 pic.twitter.com/UkWp1M84cS— 幻狐幽現 (@yuugenfox) April 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/embed/status/952485895772389376
当山の霊園のお地蔵さんがニット帽をかぶっておられました。お参りの方がかぶせてくださったようです。なんだかほっこりします（執事） pic.twitter.com/R3KgQTkrxY
— 柳谷観音 楊谷寺 yanagidanikannon (@youkokuji) January 19, 2018
Few deities are more beloved in Japan than Jizo, a favorite of adults and children alike.
お供えはいりません お地蔵さまがコーンに転身（カナロコ by 神奈川新聞） https://t.co/7QF2JtzCsL pic.twitter.com/pTt09BtnvZ
— 江の島が好きな人 (@enoshimaotoko) December 5, 2015
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=140495402732560&set=a.140495332732567.28458.100003163045694
Artist Fusao Hasegawa created the first Jizo traffic cone over ten years ago. Since then, there have been over a hundred of them created and are available in different colors.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/760382220347379712
https://twitter.com/embed/status/733264660435079168
https://twitter.com/embed/status/783433236072366080
Considering how common Jizo statue statues are in Japan and their associations, adding the guardian to traffic cones makes perfect sense.
“I want them used exactly as regular traffic cones,” Hasegawa told IT Media, adding, “I’m going to keep making them until they become a regular part of the typical Japanese landscape.”
お地蔵さまコーン初めて見た。ちょっとこわい……:(´◦ω◦｀): pic.twitter.com/qOGjGdGJE8
— みっちょん𓆏足袋ーず (@micchoooin) March 26, 2017
【日帰りでも、泊まりでも。鎌倉】
周辺を山々に囲まれた鎌倉は、自然の地形を生かしたユニークなハイキングスポットがわんさか。今回「歴史探訪ロングコース」と名付けた、建長寺を起点とした「天園ハイキングコース」もその一つ。写真は、建長寺境内にあったお地蔵様コーン!! #Hanako pic.twitter.com/DxcKfoD3hm— Hanako編集部 (@Hanako_magazine) June 20, 2017
昨日、北鎌倉円覚寺で発見したお地蔵さん付きコーン pic.twitter.com/9ejeeLuT0h
— 『プリニウス』公式 (@plinivs) January 21, 2018
Do other countries have this much fun with pylons? Or is it just #Japan? pic.twitter.com/l8i4xot1Yt
— Kamakura By The Sea (@Kamakura_By_Sea) February 1, 2018
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=140495686065865&set=a.140495332732567.28458.100003163045694
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