A JAPANESE BRONZE FIGURE OF JIZŌ BOSATSU

A JAPANESE BRONZE FIGURE OF JIZŌ BOSATSU
EDO/MEIJI, 19TH CENTURY

The Buddhist Protector of children depicted standing, holding a shakujō or khakkhara (a monk's staff with six metal rings) and a tama (a sacred wish-granting jewel) in his left hand; the back with an inscription reading as Nihon-ji Kongōgan Jizō Nijūyon-ban, 27cm; together with a lotus-shaped stand. (2)

The inscription possibly refers to Nihon-ji, a Buddhist temple in the city of Kyonan, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.