shīsā

thumb|right|Tomori shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact and decoration derived from Chinese guardian lions, often seen in similar pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils. People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses, with the left shisa traditionally having a closed mouth, the right one an open mouth. The open mouth shisa traditionally wards off evil spirits, and the closed mouth shisa keeps good spirits in.

==History== thumb|A pair of shisa, one with mouth closed Like the komainu ("lion dogs"), the shisa are a variation of the guardian lions from China. From the Edo period, they started to be called "guardian dogs" in general in mainland Japan. Komainu is traditionally called "Sisi Komainu". The one with open mouth is "Sisi" and the one with colsed mouth is "Komainu". The Okinawan word "Shisa" took the first part of "Sisi Komainu". In Yaenaman diaelct, Shisa is called "Sisi" which is closer to original Japanese word. Gender is variously assigned to the shisa. Some Okinawans believe the male has his mouth closed to keep bad out of the home, while the female has her mouth open to share goodness. Others believe the female has her mouth closed to "keep in the good", while the male has his mouth open to "scare away the bad" (Compare this to the distinction between male and female guardian lions in Chinese culture).