Autumn at the Shrine // Original Haiku

I enjoy spending time at the shrines of Japan. The smaller ones are usually quiet and peaceful. They might be located in busy areas, between buildings or next to busy roads, but they are crammed full of nature which often does a good job of absorbing much of the outside noise, leaving a sanctuary of sorts.

I wrote this the other day while visiting one of my favorite shrines.

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komainu, old friend
let us watch the red leaves fall
autumn at the shrine

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Komainu (pronounced koh-my-new) is a kind of lion-dog that protects against evil. The word itself means Korean Dog. Presumably when they came over by way of Korea with Buddhism, the Japanese thought they looked like dogs and they came from Korea, so easy name.† In China they are lions, hence the English translation lion-dog. The lion is often associated with the teachings of the Buddha. There are always two of them, one with mouth open (Ah), and one with mouth closed (Um); together they represent the sacred syllable Om (ॐ).

And then there's me, the strange foreigner who likes to talk to statues. Hmm.

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This is my entry in @moonleesteem's haiku contest. Go enter yourself here.

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Footnotes

†: Technically "Goguryeo dogs", Goguryeo being one of the three Korean kindgoms that existed at the time.

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I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.

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	David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.