Abstract
This study explores the spiritual connection between Kumamon, the official costumed mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan and the Jizo folk belief associated with Japanese Buddhism, Shintoism, and animism.
Kumamon and Jizo resemble in form; both are anthropomorphized non-human objects. They are multiple in number; thousands of costumed mascots appear at events, in the media, and on the Internet, and tens of thousands of rough stone Jizo Bodhisattva statues are placed in country crossroads. They function in similar ways; Kumamon, in particular, a spirited bear character who through his playful antics and entertaining dance performance brings “happiness” and comfort to the people of Kumamoto (as well as to the entire nation and beyond). Jizo, a benevolent savior, guardian of children, and healer of ailments, through his roots in a worship of nature, also brings comfort to people.
Each embodies a healing narrative. Through character-centered database consumption (on the Internet), the costumed mascot’s altruistic narrative is continuously reinforced. Through historical and ritualistic attendance to and care of its physical stone character, the Jizo’s embodiment of a healing narrative is also reinforced. Not coincidentally, in my view, the costumed mascot has proliferated in Japan’s consumer culture as a postmodern incarnation of Jizo, each in its own way sustaining a folk culture that accepts multiple icons of a supportive and comforting nature. Although Kumamon and the costumed mascots represent postmodern popular culture practice, their roots lie in the spiritual world of ancient and contemporary Japan.
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