Ko-an Maria Kannon Statue (子安マリア観音)

The statue of Maria Kannon (a goddess of mercy) is located on the precincts of Seigenji, a Buddhist temple in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. There was a time when Christianity was forbidden in Japan, and when persecuted Christians held masses in secret, hiding their beliefs. The “Ko-an Maria Kannon” is a statue of the Virgin Mary disguised as the bodhisattva Nyoirin Kannon that tells the history of Christianity in Japan. Today, it is deeply worshipped by the local people as a guardian deity for safe childbirth and child rearing.