, often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures either guarding the entrance or the
inner shrine of many Japanese
Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself, where they are not visible to the public. The first type, born during the
Edo period, is called , the second and much older type . They can sometimes be found also at
Buddhist temples, nobility residences or even private homes. The
komainu is also one of the pieces of a
shōgi (Japanese chess) board.
Symbolic meaning
Meant to ward off evil spirits, modern
komainu statues are almost identical, but one has the mouth open, the other closed. This is a very common characteristic in religious statue pairs at both temples and shrines. This pattern is however Buddhist in origin (see the article about the
Niō, human-form guardians of Buddhist temples) and has a symbolic meaning. The open mouth is pronouncing the first letter of the
Sanskrit alphabet, which is pronounced "a", while the closed one is uttering the last letter, which is pronounced "um", to represent the beginning and the end of all things. Together they form the sound
Aum, a
syllable sacred in several religions like
Hinduism,
Buddhism, and
Jainism.
There are however exceptions to the rule in which both komainu have their mouth either open or closed. The two forms are called collectively a-un and individually as and .
History
guardian lion in the
Forbidden City]]
Komainu strongly resemble
Chinese guardian lions and in fact originate from
Tang dynasty China. The Chinese guardian lions are believed to have been influenced by lion pelts and lion depictions introduced through trade from either the
Middle East or
India, countries where the lion existed and was a symbol of strength. During its transportation along the
Silkroad, however, the symbol changed, acquiring a distinctive look. The first lion statue in India appears around the 3rd century BC on top of a column erected by King
Ashoka. Used only indoors until the 14th century, they were made mainly of wood. During the
Heian period (794–1185), for example, wooden or metal pairs were employed as weights and door-stops, while at the Imperial Palace they were used to support screens or
folding screens.
During the early Heian period (ninth century), the tradition changed and the two statues started to be different and be called differently. One had its mouth open and was called because, as before, it resembled that animal. The other had its mouth closed, looked rather like a dog, was called komainu, or "Koguryo dog", and sometimes had a single horn on its head. Gradually the animals returned to be identical, but for their mouths, and ended up being called both komainu. Being exposed to Japan's rainy weather, the pair started being carved in stone.
The , the stone animals that in Okinawa guard the gates or the roofs of houses, are close relatives of the shishi and the komainu, objects whose origin, function and symbolic meaning they share. Their name itself is just a corruption of . The statues do not stand for the malice the animals are proverbial for, but for the magic powers they are believed in this case to possess. Sometimes the guardians are painted, and in that case they are always white. Although visible genitals are rare, the left fox is believed to be male, the right one female.
Often the foxes wear red votive bibs (see photo above) similar to those worn by statues of other deities, for example Buddhist god Jizō, from which one expects some kind of favor in return.
Notes
Bibliography
Category:Japanese architectural features
Category:Japanese architecture
Category:Buddhism in Japan
Category:Buddhist art and culture
Category:Shinto shrines
![Spectrobes Webisode 5 - Komainu [ German ]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110210040947im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jUG-SQMshgc/2.jpg "Spectrobes Webisode 5 - Komainu [ German ]")
