Most of us in the West are familiar with Saint Christopher, an early Christian martyr killed around the 3^rd century AD, and patron saint of travelers and children. Legend tells that Saint Christopher once helped a small child - who later turned out to be Christ – cross a rising river to safety.

A much less familiar image in the United States is Ojizo-san (or O-Jizo-sama), a Buddhist figure. In Japan, however, Ojizo-san is commonly seen at temples and on roadsides. Like Saint Christopher, Ojizo-san is a protector of travelers, and his statue is often seen at crossroads, intersections, and borders. Ojizo-san is also a guardian of children, helping especially to guide the souls of children who die before their parents into the afterlife. For this reason, the statue of Ojizo-san is often seen holding an infant.

In this image, a statue of Ojizo-san stands in a featureless lava field, starkly beautiful but also potentially dangerous. He is holding his staff, or shakujo, as a sort of beacon, to mark a faint path leading into the distance. Is this path materializing to guide the traveler in safety? Or is it an illusion, the statue serving as a warning not to be deceived? This image invites us to step outside of the realm of familiar Christian symbolism and consider the possibilities represented by this unfamiliar guide.