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.
Two guardian lion-dogs stand side by side at the entrance of the shrine.
These guardian lion-dogs were made in the Edo period.
Standard kanji spelling for the guardian lion-dogs at Shinto shrines.
Search-only mixed kana-kanji form; not commonly used in modern writing.
The name developed from 高麗犬, “Korean dog,” with 高麗 read こま. It originally referred specifically to the horned or open-mouthed member of a paired set of shrine guardians.