A side animal(?) of the Yangmingshan Gate
Please take a good look at the supporting (?) animals as well.
Others include.
Onigawara (Eastern gargoyle)
Komainu at Yomeimon Gate
The wooden guardian dogs at Yomeimon are copies of the famous wooden guardian dogs at Daiho Shrine (estimated to be from the Kamakura period (1185-1333), an important cultural property of Japan), characterized by the lack of horns on the Un-image. This style was also the prototype for the mass-produced komainu known as the "Okazaki ancient type."
For some reason, these guardian dogs were "added" in 1916. In other words, they were not present in the original Toshogu Shrine, which was a major construction project by the Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu.
Therefore, although the Yomeimon Gate is designated as a National Treasure, this pair of wooden lions is not.
It is not clear why these komainu statues were deliberately added during the Taisho period.
In 1879, an organization called "Hoko-kai" was formed by local volunteers and former shogunate vassals to somehow protect the shrines and temples of Nikko, which had fallen into disrepair since the new Meiji government took over. This is the same time when these copy of the Daiho Shrine lion statues were added to the Yomeimon. Is there any relationship between the two?
Some say that it was the Nikko Shrine and Temple Joint Office, established in 1914, that dedicated the additional komainu statues. The pair of komainu statues of the Daiho Shrine type was added at the time of the establishment of the Joint Office of Shrines and Temples and the dissolution of the Hoko-kai. ...... I can imagine a lot of background behind this.
In any case, the original Daiho Shrine guardian dogs are not often seen in person, so this is by far the most people who have seen them rather than the other way around.
Here are two side-by-side photos, one before the 2013 restoration and one after the 2017 restoration.
Some say that it was the Nikko Shrine and Temple Joint Office, established in 1914, that dedicated the additional komainu statues. The copy pair of komainu statue of the Daiho Shrine type was added at the time of the establishment of the Joint Office of Shrines and Temples and the dissolution of the Hoko-kai. ...... I cannot help imagining a lot of background behind this.
In any case, the original Daiho Shrine komainu is not often seen in person, so it is more likely that people have seen the copy komainu at Toshogu Shrine.
Here is a side-by-side photo of the statues before the 2013 restoration and after the 2017 restoration.
Before restoration in 2013↑↓
After restoration in 2017↑↓
The guardian dogs of Daiho Shrine, which served as the model, are also a mystery in many ways.
It is estimated to have been made in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), but some say it may actually be around the Muromachi period (1333-1568).
When and by whom was this style of fearless design, in which the horns have disappeared from the komainu and a small bell is attached to the chest, created?
However, there is no doubt that it is a very influential komainu in the history of komainu, since it became the model for the later Okazaki ancient type, and many komainu with this breast-baring style continue to be dedicated throughout Japan even today, especially at Gokoku Shrines.
However, what about the fact that something that was not originally there was "added" to the Yomeimon gate, which is designated as a national treasure, after the Taisho era (1912-1926)?
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