Guardians of Shinto Shrines

An angry dog? No! It’s a Shinto guardian in Tokyo. It’s called a Komainu or lion dog.  Paris of them are found at the entrance of most Japanese Shinto shrines and temples.

According to the Encyclopedia of Shinto, the lions are usually made of stone and a male is often paired with a  female. One has an open mouth while the other has a closed mouth which, the Encyclopedia of Shinto notes, represents”the so-called un-posture symbolizing the “alpha” and “omega” of the Sanskrit alphabet.”

You can see many more of these sketches here at Behance.

Thanks to F.C. Tymrak for tweeting the link.