National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

Gu ardian statues like this one are usually placed in matching pairs at entrances, with one’s mouth opened in the “ah” position, and the other’s closed in the “un” position. These come from the Sanskrit syllables “a” and “hūṃ,” representing the beginning and end of all things. This guardian dog (koma-inu) has its mouth shut. Its majestic presence suggests it stood guard over a famous shrine, but its origins are unknown. The whereabouts of its partner with an open mouth are unknown as well.

Scholars are uncertain how guardian dog statues originated. They are probably related to pairs of lion statues that guarded Buddhist statues in China, or perhaps objects like the gigaku l ion mask in the imperial treasures from the Shōsō-in Repository of Tōdaiji Temple. Japan’s indigenous belief in kami originated in nature worship, but as these deities were gradually given human qualities, sacred furnishings were brought inside shrines, which were treated as the deities’ dwellings. Ornamental weights for bamboo blinds in shrines are known to have been fashioned into guardian lions and dogs to ward off evil, and scholars suspect these eventually gained independent meaning and began to be placed as statues inside shrines and along their outer verandas.

This statue is made in an early styles and depicts the guardian dog with a horn on its head. The animal is seated on the ground and faces forward. It wears an intimidating facial expression, with its canines and upper teeth exposed to look poised to growl. The deep-set eyes and rendering of the mane flowing closely along the body are traits from the Heian period (794–1185), but the more realistic elements, such as the powerful, thick legs planted firmly on the ground and the rippling muscles beneath the skin are styles from the Kamakura period (1185–1333). This combination of traits suggests the statue dates to the early Kamakura period.