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A paired stone beast set at an entrance.
Also known as: Komainu, Foo dog, Shishi
Guardian lions stand in pairs at entrances to temples and official buildings across East Asia. The pair is conventionally distinguished — one with an open mouth and one closed, one with a ball and one with a cub — and the pairing rather than either figure is the convention.
Stand in pairs at temple and building entrances across China, Japan, Korea and neighbouring cultures.
Contexts: Religion
Are conventionally differentiated within the pair, one with an open mouth and one with a closed mouth, and often one with a ball and one with a cub.
Contexts: Religion
Are called komainu in Japanese Shinto contexts and shishi elsewhere, where the same convention applies under different names.
Contexts: Religion
A stone beast with a lion-like mane seated on its haunches, one of a pair flanking an entrance.
A fuller structured visual breakdown is not yet documented for this symbol.