Komainu
Ritual objects狛犬 ・ Reading: こまいぬ
Definition
Komainu are the pair of lion-dog guardian statues placed at the entrance of a Shinto shrine to ward off evil. Typically one has an open mouth and the other a closed mouth.
What they are
Komainu are the pair of stone guardians that flank the approach to a shrine, usually just inside the torii or at the foot of the main hall. Though often called lion-dogs, they descend from the guardian lions of ancient Asia, an image that travelled through China and Korea before settling into Japanese form. Their job is to watch the boundary and keep harmful spirits from following you toward the kami.
What to look for
Look closely at their mouths. One is open, forming the sound "a," and the other is closed, forming "un." Together they voice the first and last sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet, a pairing that suggests beginning and end, the whole of things. Strictly, the closed-mouth figure sometimes wears a single horn, marking it as the komainu proper, while the open-mouthed lion is the shishi), though the distinction has blurred over the centuries.
How they differ from others
Do not confuse komainu with the fox statues at Inari shrines or the guardian kings that stand in Buddhist temple gates. Foxes are messengers of a specific deity, and the fierce temple guardians are Nio). Komainu belong to the shrine threshold itself, and their weathered stone, mossed and lichened, is often a good clue to how long people have worshipped at a place.
Common questions
- What are the komainu statues at Japanese shrines?
Komainu are the pair of lion-dog guardian statues placed at the entrance to a Shinto shrine, where they watch over the sacred ground and ward off evil. They usually come as a matched pair, one standing on each side of the path into the shrine.
- Why does one komainu have its mouth open and the other closed?
The open and closed mouths of a komainu pair form the 'a-un' pairing, taken from the first and last sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet, so together they stand for beginning and end. The same open and closed pattern also appears on the Nio guardian statues at the gates of many Buddhist temples.
- What is the difference between komainu and shrine foxes?
Komainu are the lion-dog guardians found at most Shinto shrines, while foxes appear specifically at Inari shrines because the fox is regarded as the messenger of the kami Inari. At an Inari shrine such as Fushimi Inari Taisha, you will often see a pair of foxes standing where komainu would otherwise be.