Autumns can be magical in Japan, especially in places thick with Japanese maples, which turn a deep blazing red. Shrines, too, carry an otherworldly air with their quiet grounds and guardian statues. Combine the two and you get something really special, as I did in the following haiku:
狛犬よ友よともにや紅葉見る
komainu yo tomoyo tomo ni ya momiji chiru
komainu, old friend
let us watch the red leaves fall
autumn at the shrine
— Tenjōka[1]
Some misc info about the stone statue you see. I have a post about this somewhere in my archives that I will restore one of these days, but until then…
Komainu (狛犬) is a kind of lion-dog that protects against evil. The word itself means Korean Dog. Presumably when they came over by way of Korea with Buddhism, the Japanese thought they looked like dogs so named them accordingly. In China they are suppose to be lions, hence the typical English translation lion-dog. The lion is often associated with the teachings of the Buddha, where it is said that the teachings of the Buddha hit people like the roar of a lion.
There are always two komainu together, often flanking the entrance or path to a shrine: one with mouth open (阿, a), and one with mouth closed (吽, un). Together they represent the beginning and the end of all things or अ–हुँ (a-hūṃ) in Sanskrit, an idea also represented by the seed syllable that will be familiar to many of you: ॐ (om).[2]
But—I hear you cry—why are Buddhist lion-dog guardian statues in a Shinto Shrine if they are, y’know, Buddhist? Ah, now there’s a question! One that will have to wait for another time, Grasshopper.
So here we have a Buddhist lion-dog statue from Korea — originally from India, moving East by way of China — guarding a Shinto shrine and enjoying the leaves. Then there’s me, the strange foreigner who likes to talk to statues. Hmm.
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David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. |