Shishi and Komainu (Guardian Lions)
Japan, probably Kyoto; or Japan, probably Shiga prefecture, Shishi and Komainu (Guardian Lions), 11th/12th century, wood, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Hugh McCall by exchange, public domain, 2011.73A,B
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Shishi and Komainu (Guardian Lions)
- Related Titles
original language: Shishi and Komainu
translated: Guardian Lions
- Artist
- Date
11th/12th century
- Medium
wood
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
A: 25 in x 10 1/2 in x 24 1/2 in; B: 26 1/2 in x 10 in x 19 1/2 in
- Collection Area
Asian Art
- Category
Sculpture
- Object Type
sculpture
- Culture
Japanese
- Credit Line
Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Hugh McCall by exchange
- Accession Number
2011.73A,B
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
These guardian lions would originally have flanked the entrance to the sacred chamber in a Buddhist temple or a Shinto shrine in Japan. Although heavily worn by age, they are still hauntingly fierce and well suited to their task of warding off evil spirits. The guardian on the right is called a shishi (lion) and that on the left, distinguished by a single horn (now lost), is known as a komainu (Korean lion-dog). The shishi has an open mouth, symbolically intoning the syllable a, while the komainu has a closed mouth, indicating the syllable un. These sounds, also the first and last letters of the Sanskrit alphabet—the ancient Indian language that came to Japan with Buddhism—metaphorically encompass the entire cosmos.
