What Do Foo Dog's Symbolize?

Question

Is it japanese or chinese? I know they are put infront of temples are guards but what else do they symbolize? what's the significances of having 2? I'm thinking about getting it tattooed onto my back to go with my traditional japanese tattoos

Answer 1

They are actually imperial guardian lions (commonly called "foo dogs"). They are paired, male and female. As you face the entry, the male is on the right with a ball under his paw, and the female is on the left with a cub beneath her paw. Symbolically, the male guards the stucture of the home or building, while the female guards the family inside. The ball is the "flower of life", the cub is the "cycle of life", or heaven and earth.