Shisa
From MegatenWiki
Games
- Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne Holy clan
- Digital Devil Saga Beast race
About
A Shisa (or Shiisaa) is a traditional guardian spirit that resembles a cross between a lion and a dog that originated from Okinawa, Japan. Statues of Shisa are often found in pairs outside of homes, the right statue with its mouth open to let in good spirits, and the left statue with its mouth closed to keep out evil ones.
According to Okinawan legend, a royal emissary to China returned with a gift for the king in the form of a necklace decorated with the figure of a shisa dog. The king was very fond of the necklace and wore it beneath his clothes and one fateful day, when the king was visiting Madanbashi village, he was witness to a huge sea-dragon that terrorized the village, eating people and destroying buildings. After receiving visions, the local noro priestess sent a boy named Chiga to speak with the king and tell him what he must do to vanquish the dragon. As instructed, the king went down to the beach to face the dragon, and lifted the figurine high into the air. A great roar sounded throughout the village that shook the very earth, and a giant boulder fell from the heavens and crushed the dragon's tail, pinning it to the ground. Eventually the dragon died and plants started to grow from both its body and the boulder. The resting place of the dragon can still be seen to this day at the Gara-mui Woods near Naha Bridge, where a giant shisa stone stands to protect the locals from the dragon's spirit.
