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Shisa statue
from Miyako Island |
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Shīsā (シーサー) (Okinawan: siisaa) (alternative spelling
shishi) is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often found
in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog.
Many people put a pair of Shisa on their rooftops or
flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards,
believed to protect from various evils. When found in
pairs, the shisa on the left traditionally has a closed
mouth, and the one on the right an open mouth. |
The open mouth to ward off evil spirits, and the closed mouth
to keep good spirits in. Originally pairs like these were
called "shisa and guardian dogs": the right with its mouth
opened is the guardian, the left with its mouth closed is the
shisa. Some people believe that one is male and the other is
female, and provide various justifications for which is which;
for example, "the female has her mouth shut as she should" or
"the male has his mouth shut to hold in all the family's good
fortune". (Compare this to the distinction between male and
female guardian lions in Chinese culture.) The shisa, like the
koma-inu (lion dogs), is a variation of the guardian lions
("fu dogs") from China
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