japaneseaesthetics:Komainu. about 1450(15th century), Japan. cypress wood,gold lacquer (Urushi), a
japaneseaesthetics:Komainu. about 1450(15th century), Japan. cypress wood,gold lacquer (Urushi), and crystal. Mr.and Mrs. Theodore P. Van Vorhees Art Fund, IMAKomainu are lion-like guardian dogs usually placed at theentrances to temples and shrines. Koma is the Japanese name for Koguryo, anancient Korean kingdom, and inu means dog. This indicates that the motif mayhave come to Japanfrom China via Korea.Technically, only an animal with the horned head and closed mouth is calledkomainu. This distinction was lost over time. Text by IMA -- source link
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