I hope you don’t think me impolite for adding a clarifying note: These are depictions of Jizo (his Japanese name, though he has a Chinese and Korean counterpart). He’s a monk, and the Bodhisattva (sort of a Buddhist “saint”) of travelers, children, and the dead. He’s often depicted with a jingling staff in one hand (to warn critters away from his walking feet) and the “Wish-Fulfilling Jewel” in the other. In groups, they represent all the recent deceased children, miscarriages, and abortions in the region. You often see them wearing tiny hand-knitted hats and bibs. These are made by locals to keep Jizo warm in the wintertime.
Innovation on Earth 
I hope you don’t think me impolite for adding a clarifying note: These are depictions of Jizo (his Japanese name, though he has a Chinese and Korean counterpart). He’s a monk, and the Bodhisattva (sort of a Buddhist “saint”) of travelers, children, and the dead. He’s often depicted with a jingling staff in one hand (to warn critters away from his walking feet) and the “Wish-Fulfilling Jewel” in the other. In groups, they represent all the recent deceased children, miscarriages, and abortions in the region. You often see them wearing tiny hand-knitted hats and bibs. These are made by locals to keep Jizo warm in the wintertime.