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[[Image:Kara-Jishi.jpg|right]]

The '''kara-jishi''' (&#21776;&#29509;&#23376;, lit. "China Lion") is a Japanese mythological animal. The kara-jishi is venerated in East Asia&mdash;especially in [[Buddhism]]&mdash;as the king of all animals. Pairs of stone kara-jishi are commonly displayed at the entrances to temples and shrines as guardians.

In [[horimono]] tattoos, the kara-jishi is almost exclusively depicted with the peony, or ''botan'', which is correspondingly considered the king of all one hundred flowers; a tattoo of the two kings together represents the pinnacle of the terrestrial kingdom.

As many tattoo artists in the West incorporate Japanese designs into their work, the kara-jishi can be seen in many tattoos in America and Europe; curiously North Americans often refer to the kara-jishi as a "Foo Dog," although originally according to Chinese mythology, they represent lions.
==Related Articles==
*[[Japan]]


[[Category: Japanese]]
[[Category: Motifs]]
[[Category: Tattoos]]