The 辻堂 (tsujidou), or Wayside Shrine

I am quite fond of such unassuming shrines, which are common in rural areas, particularly. They typically house statues of Jizo-sama, about whom much has been written in this blog. This particular tsujidou does not show figures of the bodhisattva guardian of travellers or childbearing women but of a deity I do not recognize. The characters refer to streets, roadsides (辻 tsuji) and temple, shrine (堂 dou). Regarding the initial character, my kanji guide lists 辻番人 (tsujibannin, or guard) which has been replaced by the unattractive ガードマン. A perfectly fine Japanese term usurped by an import that is merely a sound, devoid of essential meaning. Then there is 辻自動車、tsujidousha, which is so preferable to the pedestrian 'taxi', or タクシー. This photo of a 辻堂 along my commutes contains a figure of Jizo-sama.