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SHISHI LION DOG
Koma-inu (Korean Dog), Kara-shishi (Chinese Lion)
SHRINE GUARDIANS WITH MAGICAL POWERS
Origin = China and Korea
 
(L) Modern Painting (R) Saikumono - Hirado porcelain
Shishi (or Jishi) is translated as "lion" but it can also refer to a deer or dog with magical properties and the power to repel evil spirits. A pair of shishi traditionally stand guard outside the gates of Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, although temples are more often guarded by two Nio Protectors. The Shishi (like the Nio) are traditionally depicted in pairs, one with mouth open and one with mouth closed. The open/closed mouth relates to Ah and Un. "Ah" (open mouth) is the first letter in the Sanskrit syllabary, while "Un" (closed mouth) is the last letter. The same holds true for the Japanese syllabary. The combination is said to symbolically represent birth and death or to represent the universe and all within it. Others say the open mouth is to scare off demons, and the closed mouth to shelter and keep in the good spirits. The circular object beneath their feet is the Tama, or sacred Buddhist jewel, a symbol of Buddhist wisdom that brings light to darkness and holds the power to grant wishes.
KOMA-INU and KARA-SHISHI
This mythical beast was probably introduced to Japan from China and/or Korean in the 7th or 8th century AD, during the same period as Buddhism's transmission to Japan, for the Japanese shishi combines elements of both the Korean "Koma-inu" (Korean dog) and Chinese "Kara-shishi" (Chinese lion). One prominent theory holds that the shishi derives from the Chinese Foo Dog (see RESOURCES below for more). Lions, by the way, are not indigineous to Japan, China or Korea, and supposedly entered those nations in the form of imported art and sculpture, with the earliest traces of the animal appearing in China's Han Dynasty (about 208 BC to 221 AD).
  
Stone statues from Meiji Period (private home in Kamakura)
CELADON SHISHI
courtesy www.fareastasianart.com
The open mouth, along with the pierced ball, indicate a male shishi,
representing the Yang, male, and active principle of the universe
In China, the lion is the master of all felines, the defender of law, and the protector of sacred buildings. It is a symbol of power and success, and of royality and strenghth. Images of it were embroidered on court robes. In Korea, the skin on Koma-inu's head was believed to be stronger than a helmet. In Japan, the shishi is a noble beast who protects the entrace to the temple/shrine, and in some cases, the tomb. Shishi nearly always come in mated pairs (male and female). Helena Burton at Oxford University says the shishi is sometimes tattooed on a woman's belly to protect her during childbirth. Occasionally, Buddhist deities are depicted mounted on the beast.
 
Wooden Shishi Lend Beauty to Buddhist Buildings
Shishi are also commonly used as architectural elements,
placed under the eaves of religious structures to ward off evil spirits
 
Stone Guardians Outside Hansobo Shrine in Kamakura
Koma-inu at Zenkoji in Nagano
From the wonderful photo library of Angus McIntyre
 Local Myth, The Lion Dance
In Japan, the shishi-mai or lion dance is often seen at shrine festivals and at New Year's, when performers visit each home in the neighborhood to cast charms against evil spirits and diseases while receiving offerings. A shishi-gashira, or lion's head, is the headdress worn by the performers. The shishi-gashira, moreover, is traditionally placed near a newborn baby boy because the lion's magic is believed to protect the boy from evil spirits and misfortune. Today there are still many skilled craftsmen making shishi-gashira.
 Shishi-mai, or "Lion Dance," is performed while wearing the headdress or various masks. Shishi masks take on many forms, some with horns, others looking like a dog, a deer, or a lion. This dance was probably introduced to Japan by or before the 8th century owing to frequent Japanese missions to China's Tang Court during the 7th-8th centuries AD. Shishi-mai dances became widespread in Japan thereafter as both a form of festival entertainment and as a means to ward off evil spirits, to pray for peace, bountiful harvests, and good health. The Wharton (Tokyo) web site reports that over 9,000 different Shishi-mai dance forms are still performed throughout Japan.
SHISHI NOH MASKS
- Left - Shishi-guchi (lion's mouth) mask, used for the lion spirit in Scene II of Shakkyo (play from which many Kabuki lion dances are derived)
- Center. Ko-jishi (ko-shishi) mask used in Noh plays
- Right. O-jishi. Mask used to depict the parent of Ko-jishi. This mask is used for two or more lions in a scene of the play
According to the Kyoto National Museum, the open-mouth animal is just a lion. Only the close-mouth animal is a lion-dog. The museum also says that early artwork of the shishi depicted one with a horn on its head (as found at Toji Temple 東寺 in Kyoto), but by the Kamakura Era, the horned beast of earlier times had been replaced by the hornless version.
The practice of pairing one lion-dog with one lion, says the museum, started in the Heian Period (794-1185). Before that, during the Nara Period, the pair had always consisted of just two lions. Click here for full story from the Kyoto National Museum.
Contemporary Artist
Photo (clickable) from www.tsutsugaki.org
Stone Shishi at Zenyo-in (Inatori City)
 
Above: Shishi at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (Kamakura)
Shishi Noise Maker - Wooden
from Kamakura-gu Shrine (Daitonomiya) in Kamakura
Holding this toy by the handle (see green line above)
you shake it up and down, and the head and mouth,
which are separate pieces, make the sharp sound of wood on wood
MORE PHOTOS HERE
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