Komainu Guardian Statues 狛犬

Official explanation

The pair of stone komainu statues that stand near the second torii gate protects the grounds of the shrine from evil spirits. Komainu came to Japan from China with the introduction of Buddhism.

Typically, the statue on the right, considered a guardian lion, has its mouth open, as if pronouncing “a,” the first syllable of the Sanskrit alphabet. The statue on the left, considered a watchdog, is typically carved with a closed mouth, as if pronouncing “um,” the final syllable of the Sanskrit alphabet. Together, these two syllables form the sacred Sanskrit word “aum,” meaning the beginning and the end.

Read the full explanation

This “aum” feature can be seen at temples across Japan, including in the statues of two fierce warriors, or Nio, that are found in Niomon, Nio gates.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.