Koma-Inu

The left stone lion symbolizes the power of Yang, male, positive, giving, carrying a ball.

In Japan, stone lions are called koma-inu (狛犬, dog from Koma) because they are thought to have been brought to Japan via the Silk Road via Koma (Koryo). However, Korean culture does not recognize statues that resemble the stone lions of China or Japan, and "koma" also means "foreign land". In contrast to the Chinese rock lion, the male koma-inu's mouth is almost always depicted open, while the female's mouth is always depicted closed. The two of them also almost never carry a ball or take care of children.