Okinawan Guard Dogs

Jill and I noticed that there are a lot of statues of dog-like creatures near the doors of homes and buildings here in Okinawa.  In fact, there is even one outside the school we visited.  These statues are called shisa or shishi dogs.  They are placed either on the rooftops or on either side of the entrance to a building or home.  The shisa protect the home from evil spirits.  If you see a pair of shisa, you will notice that one has its mouth closed and one has its mouth open.  The one with its mouth closed keeps the good spirits in, and the one with its mouth open frightens away the evil spirits.  Here is one of the shisa outside our hotel.