Cleveland Museum of Art

Guardian Animal: Komainu

Date

1300s

Medium

Wood with traces of color

Culture

Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Placed at the entrance to shrines and temples in Japan, guardian figures ward off evil spirits. These guardians used to be painted red and white and are distinguishable by their facial expressions: the open-mouthed animal is a karashishi , or “Chinese lion,” while the close-mouthed beast, which once had a single horn protruding from its head, is called a komainu, or “Korean dog.” The mouths correspond to infinity, the syllables ah (open) and um (closed), or the alpha and omega. This pairing was widespread in ancient times in Chinese territories and likely found its way to Japan via kingdoms in Korea.

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