Shishi

Motif

What are these stone lions sitting at the entrance of Japanese shrines and temples? That’s probably one of the first things I investigated when moving to Japan as I kept seeing them. As I dug into my research I found that it was a vaster subject that I expected. But without going into too much details today, here is what I learned in a few sentences. 

Chinese Lion

Let’s say you stand before a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple with lion statues guarding the entrance. The lion on the left-hand side has his mouth closed and sometimes has a small horn on his head. He is called Komainu, 狛犬 literally lion-dog. With his closed mouth, he is preventing evil from getting in. The one on the right-hand side has his mouth open and is often holding a temari, an ornamental silk ball, under his paw. He is called Shishi, 獅子 which translates as Chinese lion, a legendary creature originated in Ancient China. With his open mouth, he is warding off evil. Originally, these creatures were two very different identities but over the centuries they grew very similar, almost identical, as the Komainu is most often represented without his horn. Nowadays the terms Shishi and Komainu are even used interchangeably.

I believe the lion represented on this obi is a Shishi, for it has its mouth open, even though it isn’t standing like a guardian dog. Instead, he is jumping or flying on a foldable fan, which evokes a festive event. He is surrendered by pine branches, another auspicious pattern, which here, lots a lot like a firework.

Composition: Silk and lamé