Japanese

Noun

狛犬 ‎(hiragana こまいぬ, romaji komainu)

A closed-mouth or un komainu.

1. A lion-dog or shrine dog; a guardian statue seen in temples. Usually found in pairs, one on either side of an entryway, one with the mouth open to represent the syllable a or the start of things, and the other with the mouth closed to represent the syllable un or the end of things (similar to the phrase alpha and omega).

Synonyms

• 犬神 (いぬがみ) ‎(inugami)

See also

• 狛犬 on the Japanese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^ja
• Komainu on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Lion dog on Wikipedia.Wikipedia