Random Japan #23 :: Lion Dogs and Phone Booths
Don't get to close—his bite is worse than his bark.
Lion dogs, called komainu, came from China by way of Korea, hence the name komainu which means Goguryeo Dog, Goguryeo being one of the three kingdoms of Korea that existed at the time. It was said that the teachings of the Buddha hit like a lion, which may be where they come from. There are always two: one with mouth open, called Ahn, and one with mouth closed, called Uhn. Together the sounds make ॐ (Om), the sacred syllable which is said to contain and describe all of reality.
Why are they at a shrine instead of a temple? Long story. Basically for most of Japanese history Shinto was a part of Buddhism and many elements of both crossed over with each other before the two religions were forcefully separated by the government. Komainu at shrines is one of those things that crossed over.
I love visiting shrines and learning a bit about each one. This one was hidden on some hills. The shrine priest was nice and we chatted for a bit about how disappointing the cherry blossoms were this year. One can always make small talk with Japanese about such things.
Bonus photo: Superman Changing Booth
Not all that dissimilar from phone booths in the US. The difference being you can no longer find phone booths in the states, while they are still relatively common in Japan (tho disappearing more and more everyday).
If you like this random photo from Japan, be sure to check out @kaliju's great Random Korea series. The latest entry there is Random Korea #10 - Flowers and Towers!
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Missed a past Random Japan? I've got you covered!
- Dancing Torii
- Busy Night
- The Store of the Beast
- Like a Boss
- Swimming Hole Warning
- Gotta Be the Hat
- The Walls Have Eyes
- Star Wars Coffee
- The Sake Corner
- Study or Play
- Street Art
- Buying Tickets
- Abandoned and Overgrown
- Ting Ting
- Render Unto Caesar
- Lotsa Bikes
- Axis Chemicals
- The Wide View
- When Dinosaurs Rules the Earth
- After the Fall
- Crusin' Japan
- Random House and Japanese Graveyards
This is really interesting. Do you know why the state separated the two religions?
Great question. The separation happened at the beginning of Meiji. The government wanted to promote Shinto as the one true faith of Japan in order to really emphasize the divinity of the Emperor and unite the country behind him. At the time people had no real conception of "Japan" except as a loose collection of similar countries ruled by the Shogunate; their "country" was their home domain. Very similar to how early Americans felt, as we can see when we read the letters of Thomas Jefferson and he refers to Virginia as his country. This was the beginning of the Emperor God cult all the stuff that would ultimately lead to WW2.
Anyway, so the Meiji government forcefully separated the faiths and put their full power behind promoting Shinto. Unfortunately, this meant they repressed Buddhism and in many cases actively sought to destroy it. Hundreds of temples were razed and many priceless artifacts destroyed. The government stopped their attack before long, but the damage had been done: Buddhism never really recovered. The sorry state of Buddhism today, which—with the exception of a handful of more serious temples (many of them zen)—remains as more or less simply a funeral business, is a direct result of this period.
Man. So interesting. Thank you!
Yes, I wondered why the Buddhist priests here were almost like mobsters in the way they "roll" (not in the sense of violence, but in the money raked in).
Truly saddened to hear this. Not surprised one bit, though. The violent, coercive, "divine right" religion ruins everything, always. It's the same divine right belief running the show in America, and all other nation states, though very few would admit to holding these beliefs.
Anyways, thanks so much for teaching me something today!
Similar to what happened in Korea during the Choson dynasty era...Buddhism was straight up illegal at one point, or rather, the leaders of Choson Korea wanted to follow the Confucius system and the original Koryo (old Korea) Buddhism was in a way... As a result, today, temples are a business and most monks are not of the way...
you are very good. Continue to make quality videos
you are very good. Continue to make quality videos