Batō Kannon (馬頭観音)

Bato Kannon

Along the sando (pathway) leading to Tsurumine Hachimangu, a Shinto shrine in the Hamanogo area of Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, lies a small park called Tsurumine Sando Rekishi Hiroba (鶴嶺参道歴史ひろば). Within the park stands a statue of Bato Kannon (馬頭観音), literally "Horse-Head Avalokiteśvara," a Buddhist deity associated with the protection of horses.

This particular statue, dated to Kansei 7 (1795), has a relatively calm expression — somewhat unusual, since Bato Kannon is often depicted with a fierce appearance. It is thought that the statue originally had a carved horse’s head on top, which has since broken away.