Dragon and Tsutsuga at Karamon Gate (the Chinese gate)

The gate to the hall of worship and the main shrine is Karamon. Only a very limited member could enter this gate.
In order to strictly check the entrance and exit, there are dragons and tsutsugas on all sides of the roof to act as gate guards.
Tsutsuga is spirit animal rarely seen or heard of elsewhere, but it is said to be stronger than a lion and a tiger.
Dragons are located to the east and west, and tsutsugas to the north and south.
The dragons are in charge of the daytime, while tsutsugas are in charge of the nighttime. The dragon has its fins cut off and the tsutsuga has its legs fixed with metal rings to prevent it from abandoning its role and going anywhere. It looks kind of pitiful, doesn't it?

A dragon with its fins cut off. If you look closely, you can see that the body is further fastened with a metal ring.

This is Tsutsuga in charge of the night. As expected, the legs are fixed. This way, even if a prowler comes, he won't be able to jump on him or her.

The fact that the Tang Gate is more prestigious than the Yomeimon Gate can be seen in the seriousness of these dragons and tsutsugas. They are much better and more carefully made than the carving group of Yomeimon.