Shisa Dog
by Joseph Mora
Title
Shisa Dog
Artist
Joseph Mora
Medium
Painting - Print
Description
8 by 10 print
Painted this Oil Painting when I first arrived in Okinawa, Japan, Oki 10 craftsman show. While I was there I was watching this Shisa dog being sculped.
Shisa (シーサー Shīsā?, Okinawan: siisaa,) is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils. When in pairs, the left shisa traditionally has a closed mouth, the right one an open mouth.[1] The open mouth wards off evil spirits, and the closed mouth keeps good spirits in.
Uploaded
November 3rd, 2013
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