In
Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
, - are ''
Kami
are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...
'' warrior-guardian figures, ''Kami'' that guard over shrine gates are considered to be ''Kado-Mori-no-Kami'' or ''Kadomori-no-Kami'', the gods who watch over the gates. They're often depicted as holding
bows and
arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
s or wearing three silver rings. It appears on glass-like materials. The name was originally applied to the bodyguards of the Emperor of Japan. Statues of ''Zuijin'' are now often placed flanking ''shrine'' gates, similar to the ''
Niō'' and ''
Gozu and Mezu''. The ''Zuijin'' are also associated with
Dosojin, protector of crossroads and other boundary areas.
History
Zuijin (also called as zuishin) was a government official in
Konoefu (近衛府, the Headquarters of the Inner Palace Guards) during and after the Heian period; zuijin followed nobles to guard them when they went out.
Yadaijin
Yadaijin is one of the two deity statues in Zuijin (Imperial guards during the Heian period) costumes that are placed at the both sides of Zuijin-mon gate, holding bows and arrows on the observer's left.
Kadomori, a guardian deity at the shrine gate.
He is dressed in Kettekino-ho (open sleeve seams outer robe), putting on Kenei no kanmuri (headdress) with Oikake (accessories for the headdress), wearing a sword, holding bows and arrows.
He is called Yadaijin (Minister with arrows) after his arrows, and Zuijin-mon gate is sometimes called Yadaijin-mon gate.
However, he is not a Daijin (minister) but a Zuijin (attendant) called Kadono-osa (public officer).
Also, he is referred as Amanoiwatowake no Kami (one of the deities from Japanese mythology). Or it is said that the image of Yadaijin comes from Amenooshihi no Mikoto and Amatsukume no Mikoto in the lead, removing Amenoiwahagi (big rocks), holding Kabutsuchi-no-tachi (the ancient sword), 天波十弓 (bows), and 天真児矢 (arrows) at the time of Tensonkorin (the descent to earth of the grandson of the sun goddess).
Sadajin
On the right of the observer is Sadajin (左大臣), the elder left hand man. His attire is similar to Yadajin’s, with the same Kenei no kanmuri (headdress), Oikake (accessories for the headdress), and weapons, including a large bow and arrows.
The main difference between the two guardian deity statues is that Sadajin’s mouth is open, while Yadajin’s is closed. This is meant to symbolize the first breath in and the first breath out, a concept borrowed from Budhhist traditions.
[Hall, C. (2018, June 10). Japanese gate typology (22). The Carpentry Way. Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://thecarpentryway.blog/2013/01/japanese-gate-typology-22/]
See also
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Dogū
are small humanoid and animal figurines made during the later part of the Jōmon period (14,000–400 BC) of prehistoric Japan. ''Dogū'' come exclusively from the Jōmon period, and were no longer made by the following Yayoi period. There are ...
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Haniwa
The are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. ''Haniwa'' were created according to the ''wazumi'' technique ...
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Hōko (doll)
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Shikigami
(also read as ) is the term for a being from Japanese folklore. According to the Shinto scholar Inoue Nobutaka, it is thought to be some sort of , represented by a small ghost. The belief of ''shikigami'' originates from ''Onmyōdō''. Accord ...
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Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting him in his aft ...
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Totem
A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.
While the word ...
References
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Shinto kami
Japanese mythology