JAANUS / shishiguchi 獅子口

shishiguchi　獅子口

KEY WORD :　1, 2 architecture / roofing tiles 　3 art history /sculptures

1　Lit. lion-mouth tile. An ornamental tile placed on each end of a main ridge, instead of the more common ogre face tile *onigawara 鬼瓦. The origin of the name is not clear. Shishiguchi are box-like forms with three or five tubular shapes on top and have semi-circular convex tiles *marugawara 丸瓦 with pendants *gatou 瓦当 attached. The pendants are usually decorated with comma patterns *tomoemon 巴文 surrounded by bead patterns *shumon 珠文、although some are undecorated. The patterns are said to represent sutra rolls. One or two chevron bands *ayasuji 綾筋 in relief decorate the front of the tile and sometimes continue around the sides. During the Momoyama period legs, ashimoto 足元, or fins *hire 鰭, were often added, often using cloud or plant motifs. There are no examples extant from before the Kamakura period, but picture scrolls *emaki 絵巻, show buildings roofed with cypress bark shingles hiwada 桧皮 with a tiled ridge and shishiguchi at each end. The oldest extant shishiguchi is on the miniature shrine *zushi 厨子 in the *Shouryouin 聖霊院 at Houryuuji 法隆寺 in Nara. Examples of shishiguchi exist from the Muromachi period up to the present day. In the Edo period shishiguchi were known as either goshomune oni-ita 御所棟鬼板 or goshooni 御所鬼. See *kyou-no-maki 経の巻, *ayasuji 綾筋.

*kyou-no-maki 経の巻

*ayasuji 綾筋

Kenchouji Soumon 建長寺総門
(Kanagawa)

2　See *shishimado 獅子窓.

3　Also *Shishi 師子. A noh mask *noumen 能面 representing a type of Chinese lion. Like a roaring lion, shishiguchi has a squarely open mouth displaying metallic gold teeth, fangs and a large red tongue. Between the metallic gold eyes that peer majestically out from beneath strong, thick eyebrows rests a wide, flat nose. Gold-colored shishiguchi are sometimes called dei-shishiguchi to distinguish them from the less common, red-colored shishiguchi. Kanze 観世 style shishi masks tend to have bare heads and large fangs, but Houshou 宝生 style shishi have a black line across the top of their foreheads, which in human masks would indicate the base of a black lacquer hat kanmuri 冠 and are thus known as kanmurigata shishi 冠形獅子. A fine 16c. example belongs to the Tokugawa 徳川 Art Museum, Aichi prefecture. While many shishi masks of Chinese origin can be found in the dengaku and gigaku repertoires, the various noh shishiguchi masks are Japanese in origin. Used for the second act of the play *SHAKKYOU 石橋 (Stone Bridge) for the role of the father lion who dances boisterously among the peony flowers in *Monju 文殊 Bodhisattva's paradise. Sometimes, one or more child shishi wearing a *shigami 顰 mask or a smaller version of shishi known as kojishi 小獅子 (child lion), accompanies the father. A Muromachi period example of the child shishi with menacing up-turned eyes belongs to the Houshoukai 宝生会, Tokyo and is designated an Important Cultural Property. Attributed to Shakuzuru Yoshinari 赤鶴吉成　(13c.?, see *jissaku 十作). See *kijinmen 鬼神面

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