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May 15, 2012

Koma-inu: Guardian Lion-Dog

1185–1333

Part of a set. See all set records

Japan, Kamakura period

(1185-1333)

Wood with traces of polychromy

Overall: 49.6 cm (19 1/2 in.)

Dudley P. Allen Fund 1924.351.2

Location

not on view

Description

Placed at the entrance to shrines and temples in Japan, lion-like guardian figures warded off evil spirits. These lion-dogs are distinguishable by their faces: one looks fierce, mouth closed, while the other seems mid-roar, mouth agape. The idea of guardian-lions likely came to Japan from China via Korea, giving rise to the name koma-inu meaning "Korean dog."

Provenance

?-1924

Kuroda Takuma 黒田太久馬 [1867-?], Tokyo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1924-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Sizer, Theodore. “A Note on the Japanese Collection.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 11, no. 9, 1924, pp. 174–175 and 187. Mentioned: pp. 174-175; Reproduced: p. 187 (back cover) www.jstor.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 908 archive.org

Mayuyama, Junkichi. Japanese Art in the West. [Tokyo]: Mayuyama & Co, 1966. Mentioned: p. 344; Reproduced: p. 49, pl. 61

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 275 archive.org

Zenzo Shimizu 清水善三. "Japanese Sculptures in America and Canada," Ars Buddhica 佛教藝術, no. 126 (September 1979), part I, pp. 67-88. Reproduced: fig. 26

Exhibition history

Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916).

Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

Shinto: Discovering the Divine in Japanese Art 神道－日本美術における神性の発見. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 9-June 30, 2019).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Koma-inu: Guardian Lion-Dog|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.351.2|year=1185–1333|access-date=31 March 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Koma-inu: Guardian Lion-Dog

Koma-inu: Guardian Lion-Dog

Japan, Kamakura period

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