HEIAN - Tengu no Ma - Legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Tengu no Ma 天狗の間 - 伝説 Legends about the Tengu Room
Tengu-no-ma - "Tengu's Room", Tengu ("Long-Nosed Goblin") room

. Tengu 天狗と伝説 Tengu legends "Long-nosed Goblin" .
- Introduction -

- - - - -and konoshiro このしろ fish legends, see below

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


.......................................................................... Ishikawa 石川県 ......................................
羽咋村 Hakui

In the home of the 雄谷家 Oya family, there is Tengu Room. From time to time they hear the sound of drums and flutes from there.



.......................................................................... Nara 奈良県 ......................................
吉野郡 Yoshino district 野迫川村 Nosegawa vilage

At the pass 陣ヶ峰峠 Jingamine Toge there is the tea stall 天狗見茶屋 Tengumi Chaya with a room of 8 tatami mats, the Tengu no Ma 天狗の間 Tengu Room.
The son of this family, 仙太郎 Sentaro, was quite a Yakuza hanging around gambling. So the Tengu came to teach him a lesson and waited in front of the house.
But Sentaro did not listen to his sermon and instead invited him to come along gambling. The angry Tengu picked up the young man and threw him into the large Tengu Room. Sentaro was quite surprized, fell ill and soon died. That is how the room got its name.



.......................................................................... Shimane 島根県 ......................................

Tengu no ma no yuurei 天狗の間の幽霊 The Ghost of the Tengu Room



This room is located in the 5th floor of 松江城 Matsue castle.

Once upon a long time, the new lord of Matsue castle wanted to relax in the Tengu Room of the main castle tower.
Suddenly a lovely maiden with a robe from the Heian period came right out of the back wall.
The lady told the lord:
"This castle (konoshiro) belongs to me. I want to have it back. Please leave here at once!"

The young lord soon realized that this was something quite unusual and thought about it for a while. Then he told the maiden:
"If you want (kono shiro　この城) this castle so much, I will give it to you. Please wait here for a while!"

He left the Tengu Room and went to the local fishermen to get some fish, which was called
konoshiro コノシロ　(Konosirus punctatus).



But the fishermen were too afraid to walk up to the Tengu Room.
So the lord said:
"Well, then, I will bring her the fish!"
As he said so, a young retainer called 久弥 Kyuya came up and said:
"I will carry it up to the Tengu Room."



Kyuya placed the fish on a 三方 ritual tray for Shinto offerings and then went up all the stairs to the castle tower to the Tengu Room.
Nobody was in the room when Kyuya placed the tray with the fish on the ground.
Then the lovely maiden with a robe from the Heian period came out of the back wall.
She looked quite puzzled at the tray: "What is this supposed to be?"
Kyuya answered:
"This is Konoshiro, a fish. So please accept it as promised."
The lady hesitated.
"Please, accept the offering!" Kyuya insisted.
So she took the tray.
Indeed, the young Lord had succeeded in fooling the maiden and keeping her promise.


- - - - - Tengu no Ma, the Tengu Room

Next morning Kyuya found the tray near the central Honmaru building of the castle.
And the Lovely Lady was never seen again.
She had been a "human offering" when the castle was built. By mistake not a girl from the village but the daughter of the first owner of the castle had been burried.


. hitobashira 人柱 "human pillar" - human sacrifice .
- Introduction -

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- Matsuo Basho, Oku no Hosomichi 奥の細道:
"I went to see the shrine of Muronoyashima. According to Sora, my companion, this shrine is dedicated to the goddess called the Lady of the Flower-Bearing Trees, who has another shrine at the foot of Mt.Fuji. This goddess is said to have locked herself up in a burning cell to prove the divine nature of her newly-conceived son when her husband doubted it. As a result, her son was named the Lord Born Out of the Fire, and her shrine, Muro-no-yashima, which means a burning cell.
It was the custom of this place for poets to sing of the rising smoke, and for ordinary people not to eat
このしろといふ魚 konoshiro, a speckled fish, which has a vile smell when burnt."

"Pay our respects to the Muro-no-Yashima Shrine.
Companion Sora relates: "The goddess here, Princess Konohanasakuya, is the same as at Mt. Fuji. She set fire to the birthing hut in proof of her wedding vows, so this place graced with the birth of Prince Hohodemi, and, from this, the shrine is called Muro-no-Yashima.
This is why the reading of smoke is practiced here."

They say that this fish when cooked gives off the smell of burning human flesh and therefore is associated with the Lady of the Flowerbearing Trees. This is also why people are forbidden to eat this fish.

. Station 4 - Muronoyashima, Muro no Yashima 室の八嶋 .

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. WASHOKU - Japanese Food Saijiki .

shad, gizzard shad, spotted shad 鮗 (このしろ)
Konosirus punctatus, Clupanodon punctatus
- kigo for all autumn -

shinko しんこ/ シンコ（新子) the smallest kohada fish
kohada 小鰭（こはだ） the bigger fish
konoshiro このしろ the grown fish

By changing its name, this fish is a typical "career fish" (shusse sakana) and thus auspicious for festival food.

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

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愛媛県 Ehime 西条市 Saijo

Children which are born in an unusual position should not eat Konoshiro fish all their life long.

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香川県 Kagawa 三豊郡 Mitoyo district 高瀬町 Takase

At the shrine 日枝神社 Hie Jinja the fish Konoshiro is used as a kind of amulet to avoid disaster and crying at night by children.
This also holds for children born in the year Showa 24, 25 and 52.
.
If a healthy person all of a sudden and for no good reason looses his health, it will often find an unusual death.
People can use the fish Konoshiro as an offering to avoid disaster. It is best to see the Shrine priest, because he can take a look at the face and make an apropirate diagnosis.

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- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database このしろ -

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江戸橋や鮗(このしろ)つもるふじの雪
Edobashi ya konoshiro tsumoru fuji no yuki

Edobashi bridge !
the snow of Mount Fuji
heaps up on Konoshiro fish

錐水 / 江戸弁慶 Edo Benkei / "Edo's tough men"
A haikai anthology compiled by Ikenishi Gonsui, 1680.

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すゞし江に鮗をうつ竿の露
suzushie ni konoshiro o utsu sao no tsuyu

加舎白雄　Kaya Shirao (1738 – 1791)

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. Osakabe no kami おさかべの神 at Himeji Castle .
Osakabe no Miko, a Yokai 妖怪 monster.


source : emmastyle.jp/articles/detail


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At 横川の大師 the Temple of Yokawa Daishi at Mount Hieizan, there is a Tengu Room. It is locked up with nails on all four sides.
Sometimes people can hear the sound of wings flapping inside.

. Myoogu, Myōgu 明救 Priest Myogu, Hieizan .
Tenjiku Tengu 天竺天狗 The Tengu from India, turned human.

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横浜を愛した昭和の文豪「大佛次郎 天狗の間 今昔散歩」
The famous author Daibutsu Jiro loved Yokohama.

. 大佛次郎 Daibutsu Jiro (1897 - 1973) .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
- reference : "天狗の間" -

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. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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- #tengunoma #tenguroom #konoshiro -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 12/20/2016 10:42:00 am

TEMPLE EDO - Gofunai temples 06 and 07

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. Gofunai 御府内八十八ヶ所霊場 88 Henro Temples in Edo .
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Nr. 06 - Fudoo-in 不動院 Fudo-In

- 五大山 Godaisan 不動院
港区六本木3-15-4 / Roppongi, Minato ward
Shingon Sect : 高野山真言宗



The origins of this temple are not clear.
The main statue is Fudo Myo-O 大日大聖不動威怒明王 .

麻布不動坂の一願不動さん
Azabu Fudozaka no Ichigan Fudo

also called
六軒町の目黄不動
Rokkenmachi no Meki Fudo - Fudo with Yellow Eyes

The date of its establishment is not quite clear, but it might have been relocated from 麹町平河町 Kojimachi Hirakawachoin 1658. It was moved to 麻布六軒町 Azsabu Rokkencho.
During the Edo period, 兒稲荷 Kabuto Inari in the compound was quite popular.


- ご詠歌 - chant of the temple 安楽寺　Anraku-Ji in Shikoku :
仮の世に知行争うむやくなり　安楽国の守護をのぞめよ
Kari no yo ni chigyōarasofu muyakunari anrakukoku no shugo o nozomeyo

- 朱印 - stamp of the temple :


- Homepage of the temple
- source : tesshow.jp/minato/temple_roppongi


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. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja - Vidyaraja – Fudo Myoo .

. Ichigan Fudo 一願不動 One Wish Fudo Temples .

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Nr. 07 - Shitsusenji 室泉寺 Shitsusen-Ji

- 源秀山 Genshuzan　永松院 Eisho-In 　室泉寺 (シツセンジ)
渋谷区東3-8-16 / 3 Chome-8-16 Higashi, Shibuya ward
Shingon Sect : 真言宗



This temple was founded in 1700 by 快圓和上 on request of the fifth Shogun Tsunayoshi, in the ground of the estate of official 松平忠益 Matsudaira Sadamasu.
The main statue is 阿弥陀如来 Amida Nyorai.
The temple was first located in 芝金杉 Shiba and belonged to the 浄土真宗西本願寺派 Jodo Shinshu Sect.
In the hall 護摩堂 Goma-Do is a statue of 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O and one of 愛染明王 Aizen Myo-O.
They were made by the disciple of 南都招提寺開山 鑑真和尚, named 支卓律師.



- ご詠歌 - chant of the temple 十楽時 Juraku-Ji in Shikoku :
Ningen no hakku o hayaku hanarenaba itarankata wa kubon jūraku
人間の八苦を早く離れなば　到らん方は九品十楽

- 朱印 - stamp of the temple :


- hengaku 扁額 temple name plate -


- Homepage of the temple
- source : tesshow.jp/shibuya/temple


. Introduction of Amida Nyorai .




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- - - - - #edohistory - - - - -

. hengaku 扁額 temple name plate .

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- reference : 御府内八十八 不動院 -
- reference : 御府内八十八 室泉寺 -

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- Koya San in Wakayama 和歌山　高野山　-

- Kobo Daishi Kukai 弘法大師　空海 (774 - 835) -

. Gyoki Bosatsu 行基菩薩 (668 - 749) Saint Gyōki .

. Shikoku Henro Temple List 四国遍路　 .

. Gofunai 御府内八十八ヶ所霊場 Pilgrimage to 88 Henro Temples in Edo .
- Introduction -

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. Join the Updates of Facebook ! .

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. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .

. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! – The Edopedia .

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- - - - - @edopilgrims #edohenro #edofudoin #shitsusenji - - - - -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Gokuraku - Jigoku on 12/28/2016 01:39:00 pm

TEMPLE - Hosen-Ji Tokyo

[http://darumasan.blogspot.jp/]
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Hoosenji 宝仙寺 Hosen-Ji
Nakano Fudo Son 中野不動尊
- 明王山 Myoozan 　聖無動院 Shomudo-In　宝仙寺 Hosen-Ji
東京都中野区中央2-33-3 - 2 Chome-33-3 Chūō, Nakano ward
Shingon Sect : 豊山派

The large temple has a history of more than 1000 years and many famous people found their final rest in its cemetery.
The founder is Minamoto no Yoshiie 源義家 (1039 - 1106) and the temple is now dedicated to Kobo Daishi Kukai.
Yoshiie was on his way to war in the Tohoku region when he passed here and wanted a place for his personal protector statue of Fudo Myo-O.
He had a revelation from the local deity 稲荷大明神　Inari Daimyojin, who gave him a 宝中之仙 magic jewel and told him:
この珠は希世之珍 宝中之仙である是を以って鎭となさば 則ち武運長久 法燈永く明かならん.
The deity then changed into a white fox and disappeared.
This is the origin of the name of this temple.

. Minamoto no Yoshiie Hachimantaro 源八幡太郎義家 . - (1039 - 1106)

At the Setsubun festival on February 2 it has a special parade of monk-soldiers 僧兵行列.

Its main statue is a 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O made by Rooben 良弁 Roben, but the statue is not shown.
In front of its sanctuary is a Fudo statue carved by 願行上人 Gangyo Shonin (of the Kamakura period).


©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

The famous pagoda, one of the six pagodas of Edo. Built originaly in 1636.
It was lost during the war but has been rebuild in 1992. Inside are five statues of the Taizokai Mandala 胎蔵界五仏.

. Rooben Soojoo　良弁僧正　Roben Sojo　(689 - 773) .


The temple was destroyed during WWII. All the buildings are new.
The 大師堂 Daishido Hall was built by 丸井元会長の青井忠治 the former president of Marui company,
青井忠治 Aoi Chuji (1904 - 1975).

The temple is related to 和田村八幡 Wadamura Hachimangu （大宮八幡神社 Omiya Hachiman Jinja).

In 1927, the high priest Tomita 富田大僧正 (in the 50th generation of abbots of this temple) founded the school
宝仙学園 Hosen gakuen for Buddhist studies.
Hosen Gakuen Tanki Daigaku 宝仙学園短期大学 Hosen Gakuen College was was established in 1951, and closed in 2010.

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stamp from the Kanto Fudo Pilgrimage

source and more photos: blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tigerwoodsjp

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- ご詠歌 - chant of the temple 焼山寺Shosan-Ji in Shikoku :
後の世を思えば恭敬焼山寺　死出や三途の難所ありとも
Nochi no yo o omoeba kugyoo Shoosanji shide ya sanzu no nansho ari to mo

. Shoosanji 焼山寺 Shosan-Ji, Shozan-Ji, Shikoku .

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- 朱印 - stamp of the temple :


from the Gofunai pilgrimage

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Famous for its "miokuri Jizo" 見送り地蔵 Jizo looking back
to make sure no one is left behind on the way to paradise.


source :　blog.livedoor.jp/starbucks4


source :　facebook

. Jizoo Bosatsu (Kshitigarbha) 地蔵菩薩 Jizo .


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In the compound is also a mound with old used stone mortars.
ishiusu zuka 石臼塚

During the Edo period, many water wheels with stone mortars were installed along the river Kandagawa to make buckwheat flour, but with the introduction of electricity in our modern times, they were just left by the roadside. The head priest of the temple took pity on them and erected this mound in their honor.



. usu 臼 different types of mortars, grinders and handmills .

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- - - HP of the temple:
- source : www.housen.org/info

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- - - - - The temple is on the following pilgrimages:

. Gofunai 御府内八十八ヶ所霊場 88 Henro Temples in Edo .
Nr. 12 - Hoosenji 宝仙寺 Hosen-Ji

. 関東三十六不動霊場 Pilgrimage to 36 Fudo Temples in Kanto .
Nr. 15 - Hoosenji 宝仙寺 Hosen-Ji

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. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


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- #hosenji -

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Posted By Gabi Greve to Gokuraku - Jigoku on 3/12/2014 11:07:00 am

SHRINES - komainu guardian dogs and lions

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. Shinto Shrines (jinja　神社) - Introduction .
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komainu, koma-inu 狛犬 / 高麗犬 / 胡麻犬 "Korean Dog"
karajishi 唐獅子 "Chinese Lion"
foo dogs, fóshī 佛獅 Foshi

They come in a pair, one with its mouth open, agyoo 阿形;
and one with its mouth closed, ungyoo 吽形, thus representing the beginning (alpha) and end (omega) of all things.
Often a female one has one horn and the male one two.

. Komainu Daijin 狛犬大神 the Komainu Deity .
at 大和神社 Oyamato Shrine, Tenri, Nara

. koma...　 狛　other Shrine guardian animals .

. Shiisa シーサー Lion Dogs from Okinawa.



source :　facebook
Tokyo Asakusa Sanja Jinja 浅草『三社神社』　

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- quote -
komainu　狛犬 Lit. Korean dog.
A pair of lion-like guardian figures placed at each side of a shrine or temple entrance; believed to ward off evil spirits.
Thought to have been brought to Japan from China via Korea, their name is derived from Koma 高麗, the Japanese term for the Korean kingdom of Koguryo (Jp: Koukuri 高句麗). In the early Heian period, the two statues were clearly distinguished: the figure on the left, called shishi 獅子 (lion), resembled a lion with its mouth open agyou 阿形; the figure on the right, called komainu 狛犬 (Korean dog), resembled a dog with its mouth closed ungyou 吽形, and sometimes had a horn on its head.

- - - - - Ujigami Jinja Honden 宇治上神社本殿 (Kyoto)

Gradually
the term komainu came to be used for both statues, and their shapes became indistinguishable except for the open and closed mouths a-un 阿吽. In the Heian period komainu were used as weights or door-stops for curtains and screens in the Seiryoden 清涼殿, Kyoto Gosho 京都御所.
Other famous examples include a pair of painted wooden komainu (10-11c) at Yakushiji 薬師寺, Nara;
14 painted and lacquered wooden figures at Itsukushima Jinja 厳島神社 (12-14c) Hiroshima prefecture, and
the stone figures inside the south gate of Todaiji 東大寺, Nara, made by the 12c Chinese sculptor Chinnakei 陳和卿.
- source : JAANUS -

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- quote -
Literally, "Korean lions," paired figures of lion tutelaries found at the entryway to shrine buildings, or alongside their torii or approachways.
Also written 高麗犬 or　胡麻犬.

Most are made of stone,
although bronze, iron, wood, and ceramic examples can also be found. The paired figures are typically male and female, and in some cases one of the two has horns. In generally, the pairs include one with an open mouth and one with mouth closed, the so-called a-un posture symbolizing the "alpha" and "omega" of the Sanskrit alphabet. In some pairs, however, both are depicted with open mouths. The origin of such tutelary beasts is said to go back to Egypt or India, but the ones transmitted to Japan originated during China's Tang dynasty.

Another style was introduced to Japan from Song China during the Kamakura period, and this style is frequently referred to as kara jishi (Chinese lions). The word "Koma" is an ancient term for the Korean peninsula, but since the images were merely transmitted through the Korean peninsula, it may be that the term Koma inu was merely used to indicate their "foreign" nature.
As tutelaries, the animals are believed to symbolize the eradication of evil and the protection of the area around the kami.
- source : Nakayama Kaoru - Kokugakuin -

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Join the Komainu Gallery on facebook for regular updates !

- - - - - Information by Hayato Tokugawa

FOO DOGS Part I
In the West they are often called "Foo Dogs";
however, they are not dogs, they're lions! It's a rather lazy Western contraction of the Chinese words
fóshī (佛獅, Buddha's or Buddhist lion) or fúshī (福獅, fortuitous lion), although they have many other names in China such as "Auspicious lion" or "guardian lions,"
but most simply they are traditionally known in China as Shi (獅, shī) or "lion."

Statues of these lions have stood guard over Chinese Imperial palaces, Imperial tombs, government offices, temples, as well as the homes of government officials and wealthy families, ever since the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) and are honored as having powerful, mythic protective powers. It is not uncommon to see such lions used also as decorative or symbolic motifs in art, not to mention at the entrances to hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and other buildings — even parks — one sitting at each side of an entrance. Ah, but they are not just common in China, but also in Japan, Okinawa and as far away as my other home of San Francisco. Indeed, wherever Chinese people have migrated, or Chinese culture has exerted its influence, one is likely to encounter fóshī.
- source : Hayato Tokugawa -

FOO DOGS Part II
Everything you wanted to know about Komainu, foshi, or "foo dogs".
Guardian lions in China are most often set in pairs, consisting of a male lion and a female lion, a representation of yin and yang (the male is yang, the female is yin.) The male rests his paw on an embroidered ball (绣球, xiù qiú), representing supremacy over the world; and the female often has her paw, the one closest to the male, resting (more than likely actually restraining) a cub: a representation of the cycle of life. Tradition says that the female protects those inside the building or place they guard while the male guards the structure or place itself. While the form of the lions was originally quite varied, it has over the centuries become formalized, particularly during the Ming and then the Qing dynasties, into the form we are most familiar with now.

Frequently one is likely to also see pairs of fóshī with the female's mouth closed and the male's open — said to be symbolic of the utterance of the sacred word "om." Other styles of fóshī may have both male and female with opened mouths, each containing a single, large pearl. In the case of many such pairs, the pearl is frequently completely carved so that it is free to roll about in the lion's mouth, but large enough that it cannot be removed.



Unlike the "guardian lions" one might see in front of a government or public building for example in the UK or in the United States, which are created to give a somewhat lifelike appearance of the animal, Chinese fóshī are carved with the intent of portraying the emotion of the lion as well as its symbolism. In the Chinese lions, the claws, teeth, and eyes represent power while it is rare that musculature is depicted at all; whereas in the English lion, it is its quite stylized with distinct musculature to portray its power.

Correct placement of the fóshī is essential as dictated by the principles of feng shui, ensuring that their beneficial effects are maximized. When, for example, standing in the doorway of a building looking out toward a street, or square, the same direction that the lions gaze at, the male is to be placed on the left and the female on the right; thus, when walking into a building or other place guarded by the lions, the male will be on the right and the female on the left.

One often hears, "But lions only exist in Africa!" Truth be told, Asiatic lions were once quite common in Southwest and Central Asia as well; and with the increase in trade, particularly during the Han dynasty, along the Silk Road, the depiction of lions, as well as their pelts, and even caged animals were introduced into China. Various ambassadors to China from the then "West" are known to have given gifts of live lions as tribute.
- source : Hayato Tokugawa -


FOO DOGS Part III - Japan
In Japan, one is likely to find a myriad of fóshī, only there they are commonly referred to as komainu (狛犬・胡麻犬) and are likely to be found at Shintō shrines, either guarding the entrance or even inside the shrine itself.


(Photographs by Tajimi Jones, also known as Aoi Tokugawa.)

In Japan, one is likely to find a myriad of fóshī, only there they are commonly referred to as komainu (狛犬・胡麻犬) and are likely to be found at Shintō shrines, either guarding the entrance or even inside the shrine itself. And despite the forced attempt to separate Buddhism from Shintō during Meiji, even the denigration of Buddhism at the time, komainu can also be found at Buddhist temples. Try as it might, the government just never quite managed to separate the two. There are two common forms, the jinnai komainu (陣内狛犬) or shrine inside komainu, which is the older of the two forms, and the sandō komainu (参道狛犬) or the "visiting road komainu) which took shape during the Edo period.

The pair of lions are typically identical to each other except that one has an open mouth while the other's is closed. Tradition holds that the open mouth is pronouncing the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, "a," while the closed mouth is speaking the last letter, "um," — a representation of the beginning and end of all things. Combined, they form the sound "Aum," sacred in both Hinduism and Buddhism. That's not to say that there are not exceptions to this "rule."
Komainu were "exported" from China to Korea, Japan, and Okinawa; and in Japan proper, they seem to have made their first appearance during the Nara period (710 – 794). They were used exclusively indoors until the 14th century and were then generally made of wood. During the following Heian period (794 – 1185), Komainu were frequently made of metal or stone in addition to wood, and were used as paper weights and doorstops among other things. In the Imperial Palace komainu were frequently used to support fusuma (襖).

It was also during the Heian (the 9th century) that the statues took on their "mouth open - mouth shut" forms we are most familiar with. The lion with the open mouth was called shishi (獅子, lion), while the other, with its mouth closed was called komainu or "koguryo dog" because it looked like…a dog — a chow chow, or a Japanese chin, or a Pekinese! Eventually they were both simply referred to as komainu.

The 14th century saw stone or metal "lion-dogs" moved outdoors in order to utilize its power to ward off evil as the guardians of gates and doors. This applied not just to public or private buildings, but to shrines and temples as well. During the Edo period, komainu were replaced or "assisted" by other creatures such as tigers, dragons and even foxes (Inari shrines) but I have yet to encounter a tanuki as a komainu.

Shinto is very important in the Tajimi area (the regions of Gifu-ken and Aichi-ken) like most of rural Japan. You will find more shrines than you could possibly imagine and just as many (times 2) komainu. These are all made by local craftsmen (first stone cutters, the rest by sculptors and ceramic artists). It could easily take years to visit all the shrines - a pilgrimage in itself.
- source : Hayato Tokugawa -

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A Korean komainu or haechi (age unknown).


We know that lions appeared in Indian temple art and, as early as the third century, showed up in the art of Chinese Buddhism; a symbol of protection of the dharma (the teachings of Buddha). Apparently as time progressed, it was determined that what was good for the Buddha must then also be good for the Emperor; thus, the lions became protectors of the gates and doors of imperial buildings and compounds. Now, the Chinese word for lion is shi 獅 or shishi 獅子; however, another creature that appeared in China at about the same time called the xiezhi, and at some point in time, between the third and seventh centuries, pairs of stone xiezhi made their way to Korea, where the name was pronounced haetae or haechi. The haechi appears very lion-like, but often has a scaly body, a small horn on its head, and sometimes small wings.

By the Nara period (710-794), lion guardians had journeyed to Japan, typically made of wood and intended for indoor use. By the ninth century, the pair came to consist of an open-mouthed lion (shishi 獅子) and one close-mouthed, horn-bearing, dog-like komainu (Korean dog. By the fourteenth century the horn disappeared, (although it does show up from time to time) and both animals of the pair came to be known as komainu, largely carved from stone and used out of doors.
- source : Hayato Tokugawa -


- quote -
Pìxiū 貔貅, which is pronounced Hikyū in Japan.
Also known in Chinese as Bìxié 避邪 or Tiān Lù 天禄. Also known in Japanese as Hekija 辟邪 or Tenroku 天禄.
A composite beast of ancient origin, mostly forgotten in Japan, but still popular today in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. The mythological dragon-headed, lion-bodied Pìxiū 貔貅 (also spelled 豼貅) were traditionally depicted in China as a male-female pair, one with a single horn (male, Pì 貔) and the other with two horns (female, Xiū 貅), but in modern times they each commonly appear with only one horn. In ancient China, statues of the two guarded the entrance to the tomb, as they are thought to ward off evil and protect wealth.
In old China, the beasts were also commonly portrayed with hoofs, wings, and tails, and supposedly appeared on the banners of the emperor's chariots (兵車に立てた旗). In Japan, the Hikyū are largely ignored, having been supplanted by the Koma-inu (magical lion dogs) and Shishi (magical lions), who traditionally stand guard outside the gates of Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. In Japan, effigies of Shishi lions are also commonly used as architectural elements, placed under the eaves of both Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples to ward off evil spirits.
Let us recall that, in China, the Pìxiū also serve this role, and in olden times were commonly displayed on the roof corners of the homes of the emperor and gentry.
- continue reading
- source : Mark Schumacher -


And please check the main page of Mark Schumacher about Komainu


CLICK for more photos !

SHISHI LIONS - SHRINE & TEMPLE GUARDIANS
WITH MAGICAL POWERS TO REPEL EVIL
Jp. = Shishi 獅子 or Kara Shishi 唐獅子, Chn. = Shíshī
Also known as Koma-inu 狛犬 (lion dog) in Japan
- source : Mark Schumacher -

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Largest Komainu in Gifu, 瑞浪市 Mizunami - made of Minoyaki pottery
高さ3.3m、幅1.56m、奥行き2.4m、総重量は15トン！
- Click here for photos ! -

Standing Komainu 逆立ち狛犬 / 立ち狛犬
- Click here for photos ! -

- Tatoo with Komainu 刺青 - (fb)

- Toys with Komainu - photos -

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Two statues by master sculptor 運慶 Unkei (? - 1223)






- look at more Komainu photos at the shrine 地主神社 Jinushi Jinja :
- reference source : jishujinja.or.jp/kigan -

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- Reference : 狛犬
- Reference : komainu



狛犬切手 Komainu Stamp - from 香取神宮 Katori Jingu
編集長の狛犬日記 - very informative !
- reference source : www15.plala.or.jp/timebox/top/08nikki -


. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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in the limelight
for two seconds -
photographer's luck!

. Shrine Ichi no Miya, Wadakita, Ohaga .
Gabi Greve at 和田北 一宮神社, my local shrine

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狛犬の片足折れぬ神の留守
komainu no ashi orenu kami no rusu

正岡子規 Masaoka Shiki

山法師狛犬古りし結願寺 我部敬子
市神の狛犬に角木下闇 田中英子
春の狛犬にさはりたがりしかな 夏井いつき
柿の浮力狛犬いちにち足そろふ 磯貝碧蹄館

狛犬にそびらの虚空のぞかるる 林田紀音夫
狛犬にテント結はへしラムネ売り 森重夫(万象)
狛犬に乳房が六つ山眠る 仙 とよえ
狛犬に木三本づつの雪囲ひ 川崎展宏
狛犬に犬を預けて盆踊 平上昌子

狛犬の仔は石気取り松の花 加藤あきと
狛犬の光る眼と合ひ初不動 室田東洋女
狛犬の口に溜まりし寒の雨 岡田久慧
狛犬の口の中なる蝉の殻 國守セツ
狛犬の口の奥まで残暑かな 渡辺初雄
狛犬の口より出でし石竜かな 巌谷小波
狛犬の台座もろとも苔の花 小野寺順子
狛犬の吽の口あく木下闇 友塚紀美恵
狛犬の渦のたてがみ青あらし 清水 白郎
狛犬の爪に立てかけ青写真 武田無涯子
狛犬の玉を踏みたる薄暑光 長谷川久々子
狛犬の相寄らぬまゝ冬の暮 川崎展宏
狛犬の走つてゆけり青嵐 小島健 木の実
狛犬の金歯赫々木下闇 河野静雲 閻魔
狛犬の金目うつろや神無月 仲澤輝子
狛犬の阿の口子蜘蛛出るわ出るわ 松山足羽
狛犬の阿吽を抜ける西東忌 森田智子
狛犬の頭に苔知恵の文殊堂 八木三日女
狛犬の首に真青な注連飾 藤本安騎生

狛犬は網かぶせられゐて灼くる 頼経嘉子
狛犬もよそよそしかりみな猛暑 丸山佳子
狛犬も邪鬼と睦むや雪囲して 文挟夫佐恵
狛犬や碓氷の神のしぐれける 川崎展宏
狛犬を葭簀の中に年の市 青邨

狼の眼の狛犬や山始 鳥居雨路子
秋風や狛犬白き美保神社 板谷芳浄
金襴を纒ふ狛犬初戎 野村浩之

- reference source : cgi-bin/HAIKUreikuDB -

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

In 1854, during a fire at the palace, the 獅子狛犬 Lions Dogs from the 清涼殿 Seiryoden Palace were brought to the home of the honorable 一条家 Ichijo Family for safekeeping by a high-ranking official working at the Seiryoden. Later they tried to find this man, but were told such an official does not exist. They said it must have been the spirit of the Komainu.


source : 15.plala.or.jp/timebox/top/05komamori/75/seiryoden

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. Gifu 岐阜県

At 白川村 Shirakawa village there was a wolf who had eaten the bones of a human and they gut stuck in his throat. The villagers helped him when they found him sitting and suffering in the compound of 八幡様 Hachiman Shrine. And the Deity promised to help the villagers from now on. So they changed the Komainu at the shrine and installed statues of wolves.


- and found by chance, two Komainu from Gifu, Hida


和良村の歴史資料官に
source : hidasaihakken.hida-ch.com

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. Iwate 岩手県

The authorities of 胆沢 Isawa ordered the Komainu in the park to be burried in the ground.
But after that, a lot of strange bad things happened in the village, as a curse of the Komainu.

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. Okayama 岡山県

. Kibitsu Komainu 吉備津狛犬 from the shrine Kibitsu Hiko Jinja 吉備津彦神社 .

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. Yamanashi 山梨県

Once the八幡さんの獅子 Lion Dogs from Hachiman Shrine were stolen.
But the home of the thief was soon befallen with diseases, fire and other disasters. So they all pledged to bring the Komainu back to the shrine and tried to pull them along with a horse. But the horse could not move, they were too heavy.
Then a man took one on his back - and what do you say - it was so light, he could carry it with no problem.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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- #komainu #guardiandog #foodog -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Japan - Shrines and Temples on 1/02/2017 09:46:00 am

DARUMA - Nakamura Hisako

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Nakamura Hisako 中村久子



間もなく久子は自立するために、身売りされる形で
「だるま娘」 Daruma Musume
の名で見世物小屋での芸人として働くようになり、両手の無い体での裁縫や編み物を見せる芸を披露した。
- source : wikipedia

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- - - ダルマ娘 - Daruma Musume - - -

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- quote -
The inspiring life of Hisako Nakamura
Hisako Nakamura is probably one of Japan's most popular practicing Buddhist who has touched many lives through her works and her struggles. Many would think that no other person can be more influential than the great Buddha himself and many of his followers including the Dalai Lama. Unless people would understand the way Hisako Nakamura has lived, perhaps they could understand why she had become influential and inspiring for many Japanese.

Nakamura was born into a poor family in 1897 in Takayama city, Gifu prefecture in Japan. It is known, at the time, that the changes in temperature in this part of the country are very severe with their winters among the most aggressive out of all. Nakamura, at the young age of three, got frost bite on her feet and hands. At the time, her frostbites developed into idiopathic gangrene. Soon, her limbs were all amputated at the young age of four. Her survival in these ordeals is the most amazing because at the time there were no anaesthetics and for a child of four to survive amputation without it is truly a proof of her with and courage.

The physical pain through her sickness was not the only thing that she had to endure. The first of this would be the loss of their father who died from over fatigue and over work just to collect enough money for her medical expenses. Furthermore, as she was growing up she was continuously being taunted by other children in the village calling her an animal due to her disability. Because of this, she was determined to prove to them that she was a normal human being – training herself to eat using chopsticks without her hands. Seeing that she was successful in doing so, her mother was determined to teach her how to live a normal life and be productive despite what she went through. So, she learned how to do calligraphy, sew clothes, do household chores despite the lack of both arms and legs.

She worked for the circus for most of her life showing off to the audiences that even a woman who lost four limbs will still be able to perform normal tasks. Because of her work she was able to travel and meet a number of people who introduced her to the true way of life. It was when she met Hellen Keller that she was truly awakened to Buddhism. She strove to become a beautiful lotus flower, knowing that it will not become what it is without the muddy water it lives in.
She realized that her disability and all that she went through in life were not hardships but blessings for her to attain her true goal of being a lotus flower.
- source : www.creap.info/2014 -

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- reference -

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- #nakamurahisako #darumamusume -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to DARUMA MUSEUM (02) ... DARUMA ARCHIVES on 12/28/2016 09:42:00 pm

MINGEI - Ehamadou shop Fukuoka

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Ehamadoo 絵羽馬堂 Ehama Do



福岡県八女市馬場760の2 / 760-2 Baba, Yame-shi, Fukuoka
- homepage : ehamadou.com/shop.html






- reference source : ehamadou.com/production -
作り方 How to make Hariko papermachee dolls






at 八女観光物産館 Yame Kanko Bussan-Kan

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. Fukuoka Folk Art - 福岡県 .

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- #ehamadou -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to DARUMA MUSEUM (02) ... DARUMA ARCHIVES on 12/28/2016 08:22:00 pm