Random Japan #23 :: Lion Dogs and Phone Booths

Don't get to close—his bite is worse than his bark.

Lion dogs, called komainu, came from China by way of Korea, hence the name komainu which means Goguryeo Dog, Goguryeo being one of the three kingdoms of Korea that existed at the time. It was said that the teachings of the Buddha hit like a lion, which may be where they come from. There are always two: one with mouth open, called Ahn, and one with mouth closed, called Uhn. Together the sounds make ॐ (Om), the sacred syllable which is said to contain and describe all of reality.

Why are they at a shrine instead of a temple? Long story. Basically for most of Japanese history Shinto was a part of Buddhism and many elements of both crossed over with each other before the two religions were forcefully separated by the government. Komainu at shrines is one of those things that crossed over.

I love visiting shrines and learning a bit about each one. This one was hidden on some hills. The shrine priest was nice and we chatted for a bit about how disappointing the cherry blossoms were this year. One can always make small talk with Japanese about such things.

Bonus photo: Superman Changing Booth

Not all that dissimilar from phone booths in the US. The difference being you can no longer find phone booths in the states, while they are still relatively common in Japan (tho disappearing more and more everyday).

If you like this random photo from Japan, be sure to check out @kaliju's great Random Korea series. The latest entry there is Random Korea #10 - Flowers and Towers!

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