Aburakake Jizo: The Oil-Pouring Merchant Sanctuary of Saiko-ji
Why is it significant?
Step into the small, intimate courtyard of Saiko-ji Temple and look straight ahead at the extraordinary stone figure resting in the central stone alcove.
Key Facts
| Place | Aburakake Jizo: The Oil-Pouring Merchant Sanctuary of Saiko-ji |
|---|---|
| Address | Saikojicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto 612-8058, Japan |
| Geo Coordinates | 34.93250, 135.75450 |
| Part of Walk | Kyoto: Fushimi Sake Cellars, Historic Port Canals and Samurai Inns |
| Generated | Generated |
Step into the small, intimate courtyard of Saiko-ji Temple and look straight ahead at the extraordinary stone figure resting in the central stone alcove. Before you sits Aburakake Jizo, a weather-worn stone Buddhist statue carved during the Kamakura period, glistening with a deep, jet-black patina from head to toe. A wooden ladle rests in a ceramic vat of pure vegetable cooking oil beside the shrine. The gentle scent of pressed sesame and rapeseed oil fills the quiet sanctuary air, unlike any other temple courtyard in Kyoto, creating a unique sensory memory of old commerce and faithful devotion.
The unique ritual practiced here involves dipping the ladle into the vat of cooking oil and pouring it generously over the head and shoulders of the stone Jizo statue. As centuries of oil have coated the porous stone, the carving has become polished to a mirror-like obsidian sheen, with its facial features softened into a gentle, benevolent smile that has greeted generations of pilgrims seeking divine solace and financial stability.
The legend of this practice dates back to the Edo period: an oil merchant carrying heavy ceramic jugs of rapeseed oil tripped on the cobblestones right before the statue, smashing his jugs and losing his entire inventory. In despair, he ladled the remaining spilled oil over the Jizo and offered a desperate prayer. Incredibly, his fortunes reversed immediately, his business boomed, and fellow merchants began flocking here to pour oil for commercial success.
Pick up the bamboo ladle, pour a stream of golden oil over the Jizo's shoulders, and make a silent wish for prosperity, successful ventures, or personal health, watching how smoothly the oil glides over the ancient stone.
Turn south and follow the quiet road toward the broad waters of the Fushimi Port river basin.