Back كوماينو Arabic কোমাইনু Assamese Komainu German Komainu English کومااینو Persian Komainu French Komainu Hungarian 狛犬 Japanese 코마이누 Korean Komainu Polish
Komainu (狛犬) are creatures that look like lions and are often called lion-dogs in English. Pairs are found guarding shinto shrines. Sometimes they are at the entrance and other times they are inside the shrine. The first type is called sandō komainu (参道狛犬, lit. 'entrance-road Komainu') which was made during the Edo period. This type is usually placed at the entrance. The second type is called jinnai komainu (陣内狛犬, lit. 'komainu inside the shrine') which is much older and is placed inside the shrine. Komainu can also be found at Buddhist temples, nobility residences or even private homes.[1]
- ↑ Kotera, pages 1 and 2