Kohainu ( Jap. 狛 犬 ) is a pair of statues resembling a mixture of a lion and a dog. They are mystical guards, and are mainly located at the entrance to Shinto temples , but they can also be found in a Buddhist temple too. Often made of stone, but can also be made of bronze, iron, wood and even ceramics [1] .
Content
Title
There are two versions of the literal translation of the word "komainu." According to the first, the translation will be “Korean dog”, where “coma” symbolizes the name of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryo . According to the second version, based on Chinese sources, it will mean “dogs brought from abroad” [2] .
History
The first statues of lions appeared in India in the III century BC. Oe., and later the tradition spread to China during the Tang dynasty (618-907), and then to Korea and Japan. During the periods of Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) in Japan, the comaine was made of wood and was located only inside the temples, and sometimes statues could be used as a door stop. However, later in the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the comanu’s appearance changed. One of the statues began to be portrayed more like a lion and with an open mouth to ward off evil spirits, while the second became more of a dog with a closed mouth to hold and guard good spirits. Also, the second statue could be presented with a horn on his head. From the 14th century, during the Muromachi period (1336–1573), the comaine was installed outside as the keepers of the temple. From this time, to protect the statues from rainy weather, they were cut out of stone [3] .
Variations
There are many regional styles in which the company is created throughout Japan. The most popular styles are Okazaki, Edo and Izumo. A feature of the Izumo style is that the statues do not sit, but are in a state of readiness for a jump with the back part raised high. The Edo style is characterized by a lean body, wide-open eyes, thick eyebrows and a tassel-tail. As for the Naniwa style, a small ball is usually held by a paw with a paw [2] .
See also
- Sisa
- Chinese lion
Notes
- ↑ I.S. Smirnova, A.N. Meshcheryakov, V.A. Fadyanin. Gods, Sanctuaries, Rites of Japan: Shinto Encyclopedia .- M .: RGGU, 2010. p. 310
- ↑ 1 2 Yoshiaki Kotera. Komainu.The Birth and Habitat Distribution of Shrine Guardian Lions // Kotera Yoshiaki. Japanese religions, Vol.34 (1). 7-23. [one]
- ↑ Dr. Mary Neighbor Parent. JAANUS, on-line Dictionary of Japanese Architectural and Historical Terminology. [2] , accessed on May 13, 2016