The day after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, another quake hit northern Nagano, causing massive damage in nearby Sakae Village. The Jizo statues are located in Nishiotaki, the Iiyama district closest to the Sakae border. In the aftermath of the earthquake, it was discovered that six of the seven Jizo statues had shifted from their original southward orientation to face towards Sakae. Nishiotaki district (and the rest of Iiyama) suffered relatively little damage, so it's often said that the Jizo protected the city from harm.