Lion Dogs

The komainu, 狛犬、are the mythical leonine creatures at the entrance or flanking the approach to a shrine. Typically, that on the left displays fangs bared and is known as 阿形 (agyou)、while its companion opposite, with maw closed, is called 吽形 (ungyou). The pair protect the shrine's sacred precincts from evil spirits. Deer, foxes, wolves, and fowl may also perform the function. The 狛犬 are pictured with カリン、or Chinese quince; as offerings? Karin are inedible, though the fruit is used to flavor liquor. The banners read 学問の神様. 菅原道真公（すがわらのみちざねこう)、name later changed to Tenjin-sama 天神様, has been revered as the god of scholarship since the Heian Period (794-1185). As the neighborhood is home to a primary school, three high schools (including Takahashi Rumiko's alma mater), and Niigata University's School of Medicine, 天満宮 (of which there are 12,000 in Japan), is most convenient for students sweating their exams and in need of academic inspiration and encouragement.