Historically komainu, the pair of guardian statues at most shrines and some temples, have gone by various names,... shishi and kara shishi are two common ones. What fascinates me is the incredible diversity of styles which unfortunately is slowly disappearing with the spread of a standard "national" style.
These first two photos are from Oasahiko Shrine near the first temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
This one was at a small unnamed shrine in a village near temple 4.
This one was at the Ichinomiya in Tokushima City
This last one was at a small Hachimangu close to the Hasso Daishi chapel
No comments:
Post a Comment