The characters warmly portrayed in these images by Kuroiwa Toyotaka are all Jizo (also written Jizô or Jizou - the final 'o' is long), a Buddhist character so widely revered in Japan that he has literally become part of the scenery. Stone statues can be seen everywhere, usually in rows, typically adorned with red bibs, and always seeming to smile.
Each of these pictures includes a little poem - illustrating the absence in Japanese artistic conventions of a sharp distinction between painting and calligraphy. I've attempted to give the flavour in a translation.
More background information on Jizo: Wikipedia article and Mark Schumacher's Buddhist corner
This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size.
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