狛こま犬いぬ

noun

guardian lion-dogs at a Shinto shrine

Refers to the pair of stone statues, often one with open mouth and one with closed mouth, placed at shrine entrances or in front of halls to ward off evil spirits.

• 神じん社じゃの入いり口ぐちに狛こま犬いぬが二に体たい並ならんでいる。

  Two guardian lion-dogs stand side by side at the entrance of the shrine.

• この狛こま犬いぬは江え戸ど時じ代だいに作つくられたものだ。

  These guardian lion-dogs were made in the Edo period.