Sinerics's definitions

komainu

Komainu, often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures, which traditionally guard the entrance or gate of the shrine, or placed in front of or within the honden of Japanese Shinto shrines. A twin pair of komainu, or two shishi/karajishi, are the typical stone-made creatures associated with gatekeeping on Shinto shrine grounds.

"I was at a Shinto shrine earlier, and I saw one of those cool lion-dog things."
"You mean a Komainu?"
"Yeah, a Komainu."

by Sinerics November 1, 2023