Komainu

Familiar: No
Spirit Animal: Yes
Spirit Guide: No
Totem: No
Mythical: Yes
Supernatural: No

Komainu, also known as Japan’s guardian lion dogs, are noble, holy animals, usually employed as guardians of sacred sites. In Asia, the lion was popularly believed to have the power to repel evil, and for this reason it was habitually used to guard gates and doors. In Japan, it too ended up being installed at the entrance of shrines and temples. Komainu are a ubiquitous symbol at holy sites all across the country. Often called lion-dogs in English, they are statue pairs of lion-like creatures either guarding the entrance or the honden, or inner shrine of many Japanese Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself, where they are not visible to the public. They can range in size from a small dog to the size of a lion. The first type, born during the Edo period, is called sandō komainu (‘visiting road Komainu’), the second and much older type jinnai komainu (‘shrine inside komainu’). They can sometimes be found also at Buddhist temples, nobility residences or even private homes.

Meant to ward off evil spirits, modern komainu statues usually 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. The pattern is Buddhist in origin 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 “Om”, a mystical syllable which symbolizes the beginning, middle, and end of all things, sacred in several religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Some komainu have large horns like a unicorn on their heads. However, many are hornless.

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 Asiatic 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.

Komainu translates as “Korean Dog”- with Koma being the name for the ancient Korean kingdom of Koguryo. Some of the earliest examples of komainu are found at a shrine in Izumo, a region that has very strong ties with the Korean peninsula. In China these dogs are called shishi, which means “stone lion.” This name is often used in Japan as well, though it only refers to the one with its mouth open. The other one, and the two of them collectively, are always referred to as komainu. Originally they served to protect the sacred buildings from evil and defilements. After the 9^th century they were used for ornamental purposes on ceremonial occasions at the Imperial Court.

During the Nara period (710–794), as in the rest of Asia, the pair always consisted of two lions. 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 (9^th century), is when the tradition changed and the two statues started to be different and be called differently. One had its mouth open and was called shishi (‘lion’) because, as before, it resembled that animal. The other had its mouth closed, looked rather like a dog, was called komainu, or “Goguryeo 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.

Komainu are fierce and noble beasts. Ubiquitous as they are now at shrines, Komainu have been used outdoors only since the 14th century, the vast majority being made during the late Edo Period. Until then, most komainu were made of wood and were kept undercover or indoors. Examples of these can sometimes be seen on the porch of the honden (inner sanctuary), at the back of the heiden (offerings hall), or paired with zuijin, another kind of shrine guardian, in a zuijinmon (guardian gate). As a protection against exposure to Japan’s rainy weather, the komainu started being carved in stone. The shisu, 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.

Starting from the Edo period (1603–1868) other animals have been used instead of lions or dogs, among others wild boars, tigers, dragons and foxes. The most frequent variant of the komainu theme is the fox, guardian of shrines dedicated to kami Inari. There are about 30 thousand Inari shrines in Japan, and the entrance of each is guarded by a pair of fox statues. Often one, and sometimes both, has a sūtra roll, a key or a jewel in its mouth (sūtras are Buddhist texts, a fact which attests to the Buddhist origins of the Inari cult). The statues do not symbolize the animals’ proverbial malice, but the magic powers they are believed to possess. Sometimes the guardians are painted, and in that case they are always white. White foxes are messengers of the kami, who is sometimes himself believed to be, and portrayed as, a fox.