Lion Defenders of Asia

Lions have a long standing tradition of being protectors in Asia. To embody this, these sentinels are embodied in stone. I shall look at the snow lion of Tibet, the guardian lions of China and the komainu of Japan.

First, the snow lion of Tibet. They are depicted as white, genderless lions with a turquoise mane; however, the milk from the lioness is said to heal the body and to restore harmony. As they are in an eternal state of bliss, the reason why there are eight carved onto the Throne of the Buddha, they are cheerful, fearless, and in a state of natural delight. This theme of fearlessness is also to be found in the sound of the snow lion’s roar, in that it sound-manifest of the qualities of courage truth, and even emptiness. Further, they represent that when mind and body are fused, beauty and dignity is plentiful. These latter qualities seem illogical to hold with a stone carving, though snow lions are thought of as flesh-and-blood beings since before they were carved.

Next, the guardian lion of China. Palaces, temples and tombs are what the sacred places they defend. The temples are obviously sacred, though the palaces and tombs may not be so: the temples were the residences of the emperors, which were believed to have the divine right to rule, and the tombs are where the remains of their ancestors remain, and as Chinese society has deep traditions of ancestor veneration this undoubtedly makes tombs sacred. The male traditionally sits on the left with his right paw on an embroidered ball to signify supremacy, and he is tasked with defending the actual structure. The female traditionally sits on the left whilst she restrains a cub with her left paw; with this clear indication of nurturing, it is unsurprising that this gender is tasked with protecting the structure’s inhabitants.

Before I mention komainu and guardian lions, it is best to mention that there was a period in Japan’s history when they absorbed many cultural elements from China, such as the tea ceremony and perhaps also the lionesque sentinels. Both have pairs that guard the entrance of a sacred place, and both have one member of the pair with their mouth open and one with their mouth closed.

Finally, the komainu of Japan. These are depicted as ‘lion-dogs’, though they can have a horn or take the form of a tiger or a boar. Most often, komainu are to be seen guarding the entrances to shrines and Buddhist temples, they can also be seen in front of noble residences and sometimes guarding the gate of the inner shrine. The komainu of Inari, arguably the most important kami that rules over rice, tea and foxes, will be in the form of a fox. This form signifies messages and magical powers, which is assisted by the sometimes appearance of a key, a jewel or a sutra roll in their mouth.

So, even though the idea of a lion being a guardian first arrived from China, it can be seen by investigating both guardian lions and komainu that these stone sentinels have adopted qualities and inclinations from whatever culture they inhabit. This can be seen with the komainu fitting around Shintoism, though it is clearer still with the snow lion. The carved snow lions didn’t absorb any of the Chinese elements of the guardian lion other than to be a stone protector.