Jizō, the bodhisattva of the earth, watches over a small shrine as a stone statue on the Kumano Kodo near Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. He is considered a protector of travellers, children and the souls of the deceased. Red fabrics on the figure are meant to ward off demons; locals still visit the Jizō figure today to ask for protection. A hiking guide points to the statue, and the shrine is one of the 99 Oji shrines on the pilgrimage route.