Komainu Glossary

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. Komainu - Introduction .
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komainu, koma-inu 狛犬 / 高麗犬 / 胡麻犬 "Korean Dog"
karajishi 唐獅子 "Chinese Lion" - shishi 獅子 Lion dog
fóshī 佛獅 Foshi, foo dog


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There is a difference in the composure of a Komainu and a Shishi Lion dog.

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京都狛犬巡り Visiting the Komainu of Kyoto
京都の神社へ奉納する狛犬を刻むのに各地の石工が燃えないはずはないのだ。秀犬、猛犬、珍犬、駄犬、迷犬の揃い踏み。京都（府下も含む）の全狛犬徹底調 査！ 狛犬はどこで作られ、どこから来たのか。調査結果から見えてきた狛犬の生態。狛犬と神社を楽しむためのガイドブック。京都狛犬巡りモデルコース付き。
- reference source : nakanishiya.co.jp/book -

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- reference source : Kyoto Komainu -


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- - - - - Glossary - 用語集 - - - - -

ball
玉乗り standing on a ball, 玉抑え holding a ball down / 玉くわえ having a ball in the mouth

beard 髭の形
- facebook -

. Bishamon-Ten . 毘沙門天 . - and tora　虎Tiger Koma animals


child (mother and child) 子持ち
組み伏せ holding down, 遊ばせ let it play, 授乳 nursing

Chinese Lion 中国獅子 - see Lion below


ears 耳の形
Standing up (立て耳)


eyes 目の形
釣り目空豆型　almond-shaped / 釣り目半月型 almond-shaped, half moon　/ 丸目 round eyes/ 垂れ目　drooping eyes / 小判目 like Koban / 光彩のある／なし shining or not


fur, coat of fur 毛並み / たてがみ　
straight　直毛　
The hair of a lion dog is often curled 巻毛.

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hairstyle 髪型 and form of head
角あり／なし with horn or not / hooju 宝珠（擬宝珠）like a Giboshi jewel / 兜型　like a helmet / 前分け hair parted in front / 尊結び　bound together / たてがみ(ライオン型）mane, like a lion
越前禿 Echizen kamuro
- kamurogata 禿（かむろ）型 / 禿型 : photos -
- reference : facebook -

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Hakusan Komainu 白山狛犬 from Mount Hakusan
- photos -

. Hokusai Manga - Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849).

horn　角
The female often has one horn. The male has two horns.


Incence burner　香炉
- photos -


Izumo type 出雲狛犬
made from special stone of the region, 来待石 Kimachi Stone.


. koma...　 狛　other Shrine guardian animals .


- Lantern with Komainu 灯籠狛犬 - photos -
- facebook -

Largest Komainu
in Gifu, 瑞浪市 Mizunami - made of Minoyaki pottery
高さ3.3m、幅1.56m、奥行き2.4m、総重量は15トン！
- Click here for photos ! -

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lion dog 獅子 shishi
Might have reached Japan directly via China and Taiwan. Has no horn.
His ears are hanging down (垂れ耳), fur is curled 巻毛, his mouth is closed.
Usually stands on the left side.

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mouth　口
A pair with open and closed mouth 阿吽 a-un / mouth open, agyoo 阿形 / mouth closed, ungyoo 吽形
the "alpha" and "omega", beginning and end of all things.
Open mouth on the right, closed mouth on the left side.
- reference photos -

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. Manekineko 招き猫狛犬 Beckoning Cat .

material 材料による分類
石 stone is relative new - different stones from local areas are used.
木　wood / ブロンズ bronze / 金　gold
焼き物（備前焼、美濃焼、瓦焼き pottery (Bizen, Mino, Kawarayaki . . .)
セメント・コンクリート cement, concrete


- Mother and Child Komainu - 狛犬　親子 - photos -


. nade komainu なでこまいぬ Komainu to rub for good luck .
..... o-negai Komainu お願い狛犬 to make a wish

- netsuke 根付 - photos -


Okazaki type 岡崎型 After WWII, the mass production started from here.


- Paintings of Komainu - photos -


- Rings, fingerring with Komainu - photos

. roof tiles - kawara, yanegawara　屋根瓦 .


Sendai-gata 仙台形 type from Sendai
source : facebook


setokoma せとこま from 瀬戸深川神社 Shrine Seto Fukagawa Jinja
11 Fukagawacho, Seto, Aichi
- reference photos -


. Shiisa シーサー Lion Dogs from Okinawa.

. shitsuu komainu 歯痛狛犬 Komainu to heal toothache . - Nagasaki

. Shooki Komainu 鍾馗 at 鍾馗神社 Shoki Shrine .

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- - - - - Shrines - - - - -
神殿狛犬型　Shrine-type
籠神社型 dragon deity shrine tpye 　

大宝神社型 Daiho Jinja

厳島神社 Itsukushima Jinja (Hiroshima) : 14 painted and lacquered wooden figures (12-14c)

- photos -

籠（この）神社型 Kono Jinja
鷲神社（大分県）Ootori Jinja (Oita)
弥彦神社型（忠太狛犬） Yasuhiko Jinja (Chuta Komainu)
靖国神社型　Yasukuni shrine type

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Standing Komainu 立ち狛犬 / standing on front legs 逆立ち狛犬
- Click here for photos ! -

Stone lantern 四隅獅子頭型」灯籠 with Komainu at the corners
source : facebook

tail 尾の形
扇尾　like a handfan / 炎尾 like flames /　筒尾 like a pipe　/ 獅子尾　like a lion / 滝（流水）尾 like flowing water

- Tatoo with Komainu 刺青 irezumi - (fb)
..... tatoo - reference source : facebook -

. temizuya 手水舎　purification font, purification trough .

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- - - - - Temples - - - - -

. Toodaiji 東大寺型　Todai-Ji type - Nara .

薬師寺 Yakushi-Ji
a pair of painted wooden komainu (10-11c)

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. tomegoto　止め事成就の狛犬 make an end to something unpleasant .

tongue sticking out
- facebook -


- Toys with Komainu - photos -

. water basin 手水舎 at a shrine .

woodblock prints 狛犬の版画 hanga
- photos -

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komainu kakusei 狛犬覚醒

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source :　facebook
Tokyo Asakusa Sanja Jinja 浅草『三社神社』　

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- - - - - Reference - - - - -

- reference : facebook -　狛犬さがし隊 -

- komainu.net/index - 狛犬の完全ガイド本
第1章●　狛犬入門
第2章●　狛犬は生きている
第3章●　熱血読み物
第4章●　館主の狛犬探訪記 - from North to South
第5章●　過去の狛犬臨時ニュース / 第6章●　リンクなど

- 狛犬とは何か？　100万人の狛犬講座 -

- 分類 different typs of komainu -


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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .


. shishigashira 獅子頭と伝説 Legends about a lion head .
shishimai 獅子舞 Legends about a lion dance
sanbiki shishimai 三匹獅子舞 lion dance with three lion heads


....................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県 　
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大野郡 Ono district 白川村 Shirakawa village

. yama-inu, yamainu　山犬、豺 "mountain dog" wolf legends .
Once a yamainu 山犬 wolf with a human bone stuck in his throat came to the Hachiman Shrine.
The Hachiman Deity made the wolf promise not to harm the villagers any more and then removed the bone.
When the villagers heard this, they offered two komainu 狛犬 lion dog statues to the Hachiman Shrine,
in the hope never to forget the event.




....................................................................... Kyoto 京都府　
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京都市 Kyoto city

In 1854, the 清涼殿 Seiryoden Hall of the Imperial Palace was lost to a fire.
A priest brought the komainu 狛犬 lion dogs to safety at the royal family of 一条家 Ichijo.
The family later went looking for the priest, but could not find him.
It must have been the spirit of the lion dogs who had transported them.

. Shishinden 紫宸殿 Hall for State Ceremonies .

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Kyoto 宮津市 Miyazu city

komajishi 高麗獅子 Korean lion dog
Once a stone statue of a lion dog became alive, flew up to the sky and came to town. There it did a lot of bad things and troubles.
A roonin 浪人 masterless Samurai cut off its leg, the lion dog fell down but soon got up again and run away.
Next morning the leg of the stone statue was cut off and blood was oozing out.




....................................................................... Okayama 岡山県 　
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岡山市 Okayama city 北区 Kita ward

inu, tori 犬，鳥 dog and bird
At the Shrine 吉備津彦神社 Kibitsu Hiko Jinja they sell three toys, a komainu 狛犬 lion dog, a bird and a bull. When the deity 吉備津彦命 Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto, one of the shidoo shoogun 四道将軍 four generals held a ritual before going to war, there were a dog and a bird coming to show him the way. . Kibitsu Hiko Jinja 吉備津彦神社 .
四道将軍 Shido Shogun
昔大吉備津彦命四道将軍となって備前五山の1つ加茂山の山系の峰に来た頃、峰の西方に火柱天に沖する妖怪が現れ、里人は大いに悩んだ。命は大弓を放ちこれを退治した。妖怪は的石と化した。その際の出来事により弓張、矢懸、高片、目無、的岩、立石という地名がついたという。

加茂川町
崇神天皇の四道将軍、吉備津彦命が備前に入り本宮山の峰に来た頃、その峰の西方約１里の所に毎夜妖怪が現われ、里人はたいそう恐れていた。里人は命に妖怪を退治してくれるように願い出た。数日後のある夜、気比神社の西方3キロのところに火柱が現われ、命は境内の見晴らしの良い駒岩から弓でこの怪物を射た。矢が命中するや否や、大音響と共に怪物は岩となった。これを今に残る的岩という。
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Shido-shogun (Generals Dispatched to Four Circuits) (四道将軍)
The term "Shido-shogun" refers to four imperial (royal) generals who appeared in the Nihon Shoki (the Chronicle of Japan), namely
Obiko no mikoto, Takenunakawa wake no mikoto, Kibitsuhiko no mikoto and Tanbamichi nushi no mikoto.
Summary
According to the "Nihon Shoki," each of these generals was dispatched to Kuga no michi (Hokuriku circuit), Umitsu michi (Tokai circuit), Nishi no michi (Sanyo circuit) and Tanba michi (Sanin circuit), in the 10th year of Emperor Sujin's reign (88 B.C. ?)
They were appointed as generals to use armed force against and defeat those who would not accept the Emperor's precepts, and it was reportedly in the following year, the 11th year of Emperor Sujin's reign (87 B.C. ?) that these generals returned in triumph after subduing the local rebels. (This is, however, believed to have actually happened at around the beginning of the fourth century.)
- source : japanese-wiki-corpus.org -




....................................................................... Yamaguchi 山梨県 　
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Hachiman san no shishi 八幡さんの獅子 lion dogs from Hachiman Shrine
Once the shishi 獅子 lion statues were stolen from the Hachiman Shrine.
The family of the thief was soon befallen with illness and disaster.
When a diviner told them the reason for the misfortunes, they decided to bring 狛犬 the lion dogs back.
They put them on a carriage, but the horse could not pull it.
They put them on their back and now they felt light.


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- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -

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