Shinjuku_2019 05 13_2891 — HBarrison

Komainu (狛犬), often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures either guarding the entrance or the honden, or inner shrine of many Japanese Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself, where they are not visible to the public. The first type, born during the Edo period, is called sandō komainu (参道狛犬 visiting road Komainu), the second and much older type jinnai komainu (陣内狛犬 shrine inside komainu). They can sometimes be found also at Buddhist temples, nobility residences or even private homes. During the early Heian period (ninth century), the tradition was two statues and started to be different and be called differently. One had its mouth open and was called shishi (獅子 lion) because, as before, it resembled that animal. The other had its mouth closed, looked rather like a dog, was called komainu, or Goguryeo dog, and sometimes had a single horn on its head. Gradually the animals returned to be identical, but for their mouths, and ended up both being called komainu / Naruko Tenjin Shrine (成子天神社), founded in 903 according to legend, is a Shinto shrine located near the skyscraper district. This shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane (845 - 903), a politician and scholar who is widely worshiped in Japan as a god of learning. Though the shrine complex is a post-war reconstruction made with concrete, the shrine is neatly maintained like a garden. Hand pump is located in front of Sui Jingu, a small shrine enshrining a divinity of water. Fuji-zuka is a mound which was created to worship Mt Fuji. It is covered with lava rock conveyed from the foot of the mountain. The Shrine is located through an alley off Ome-kaido Avenue, across the street from Tokyo University Hospital / Shinjuku (新宿区Shinjuku-ku) is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. Like the other special wards of Tokyo, Shinjuku has a status equivalent to that of a city. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration centre for the government of Tokyo. Since the end of World War II, Shinjuku has been a major secondary center of Tokyo, rivaling to the original city center in Marunouchi and Ginza.