Posts Tagged ‘shrine’

Komainu

kanji komainu_Komainu

Komainu is a pair of statues in the form of imaginary lion-like creatures, which is commonly found at the entrance of Shinto shrines.Komainu statues were used to be called Shishi-Komainu, in which the right statue is Shishi with the mouth open and the left is Komainu with the mouth closed.The horn on the head is also a distinctive feature of Komainu, compared to Shishi.

Design & Style

Aum(uh-un) gyo Style

When komainu was first introduced from China, both statues were identical. However, due to the influence from Buddhism, it gradually started to take the shape of aum gyo style, an open and closed mouth pair. A-gyo, the open mouth statue is installed on the right, while un-gyo, the closed mouth statue is installed on the left, symbolizing the beginning and the end.

image of komainu aum pair image of Nio aum pair

Shishi-Komainu pair

Komainu statues were used to be called Shishi-Komainu, where komainu, the left statue has the horn on the head, and Shishi, the right statue is hornless.

image of shishi-komainu pair

Variations

  • image of monkey komainu

    Monkey

  • image of fox komainu

    Fox

  • image of wild boar komainu

    Wild boar

  • image of wolf komainu

    Wolf

Torii Gate

kanji torii_Torii Gate

A torii is a traditional Japanese gate, which marks the boundary between the sacred and mundane. Torii Gates are gnerally regarded as a symbol of Shinto shrines, and different styles and choice of materials can be found throughout Japan.

Design & Styles

myojin-torii features

Myoshin Torii

Myojin torii is more ornamental form of torii gate, characterized by the double lintels with curvature. In general, two columns have inward inclination, and lintels and tie beam are connected by a supporting strut called gakuzuka.

shinmei-torii features

Shinmei Torii

Shinmei torii is the simpler form of torii gate, characterized by the single straight lintel. In general, all elements are round in section and meet at right angles.

Scale

Oyunohara o-torii in Wakayama prefecture is the biggest torii in Japan and 33.9m(111ft) tall and 42m(137ft) wide.Meiji jingu daini torii in Tokyo is one of the biggest wooden made torii, and it is 12m(39ft) tall and 17.1m(56ft)wide.

torii size comparison

Terminology

  • 1.Kasagi
  • 2.Shimagi
  • 3.Nuki
  • 4.Kusabi
  • 5.Shingaku
  • 6.Gakuzuka
torii terminology

Gallery

  • image of ryobu torii

    Ryobu Torii
    Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima

    Ryobu torii is a member of Myojin torii Family, and its two pillards are supoorted on both front and back by short posts called yoji torii. The name, Ryobu is derived from Buddhism with which Shinto has a long association.

  • image of mitsu torii

    Mitsu Torii
    Mitsumine-jinja Shrine in Saitama

    Mitsu torii or Miwa torii is a Myojin torii with a smaller torii on both sides. Inward inclination of the pillards is less pronouced than other Myoshin torii family variants.

  • image of sanno torii

    San-no Torii
    Hie-jinja Shrine in Tokyo

                 

    San-no torii is a variant of Myojin torii with a gable on top of the lintels.

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  • image of kuroki torii

    Kuroki Torii
    Nomura-jinja Shrine in Kyoto

    Kuroki Torii, one of the oldest types of Shinmei torii Family, is made of wood with bark left untouched, from which its name, Kuroki is derived.

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  • kara hafu torii

    Kara hafu Torii
    Itsukushima-jinja Shrine in Kyoto

                 

    Kara hafu torii is a variant of Myojin torii with lintels shaped like a recurve bow in archery.