こまいぬ

Japanese

For pronunciation and definitions of こまいぬ – see the following entry at 狛犬.
こまいぬ【狛犬】 [noun]A lion-dog or shrine dog; a guardian statue seen in temples. Usually found in pairs, one on either side of an entryway, one with the mouth open to represent the syllable a or the start of things, and the other with the mouth closed to represent the syllable un or the end of things (similar to the phrase alpha and omega).
(This term, こまいぬ, is a hiragana spelling of 狛犬.)

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