Shisa

A sea day today as we steam towards China. 

This is a collage of various Shisa seen yesterday in our wanderings around Okinawa.  According to Wikipedia, Shisa are traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifacts and decorations 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.

Not sure if I'll be able to post while we are in China, but if not, I'll catch up on the other side!