nntsuzu/KFTT huggingface dataset:
English: However, if you want to work for a shrine belonging to the Association of Shinto Shrines as a priest, you must be certified by the association regardless of whether you are a man or a woman.
Japanese: ただし神社本庁傘下の神社に神職として奉仕する場合、男女ともに本庁の発行する神職が求められる。
English: Also, note that shrines are allowed to recruit miko by specifying "female only," since the Equal Employment Opportunity Law does not apply to the profession.
Japanese: なお巫女は男女雇用機会均等法の適用外なので女性を指定しての募集が認められている。
English: Because no qualification or certification is required for miko, basically any woman can serve as a miko as long as she is mentally and physically healthy.
Japanese: 基本的には資格が必要とされない為、心身ともに健康な女性ならば巫女になることは可能である。
English: Since professional miko are mostly the daughters of priests, their relatives or those who have connections to the shrine, shrines do not publicly seek many professional miko (and generally, only large shrines can afford to hire them).
Japanese: 本職巫女の多くは神職の娘・近親者など、その神社に縁がある人が奉仕することが多く、本職巫女の求人は余り多いとは言えない（本職巫女を置けるのは大規模神社に限られる場合が多い）。
English: As some professional miko are recruited through newspapers, classified ads or Hello Work (job-placement office), these may be practical means by which to land a job if you lack connections to people in shrines.
Japanese: 本職巫女の求人は、新聞・求人広告、ハローワーク等に掲載されることがあり、神社関係者で無い場合はそれらを探すのが本職巫女になる現実的な手段であろう。
English: Beside priests, some miko, although few in number, are recruited through educational institutions such as colleges and training schools.
Japanese: また、神職養成機関（大学や養成所等）には、神職の他に少ないながら本職巫女の求人が寄せられることもある。
English: Women who obtain the jobs do not serve as professional miko for a long time, because most of them retire in their late twenties, having started to work upon the end of compulsory schooling (or more practically, after graduating from high school).
Japanese: 女性が本職巫女として奉仕できる年数は短く、義務教育修了後（現実的には高等学校卒業）から勤務し、20代後半で定年を迎える例が多い。
English: If one starts serving as miko after graduating from college or university, she can do so for only a few years.
Japanese: 短大・大学を卒業してからの奉仕であれば、数年間しか在職しないことになる。
English: Because shrines require people who continue to work after retirement to wear a dark-green or blue hakama (skirt-like trousers) or of a color specified by the shrine, many of them distinguish female employees depending on their jobs; they treat the women who offer religious services as miko and those who do desk work as general workers.
Japanese: 定年以降に神社に勤務する場合は、神社指定の制服や松葉色・紺色などの袴を履くなどして服装で区分され、また職掌の上でも神事に奉仕する女性職員を巫女、それ以外の事務作業などを行うのが一般女性職員と区分される事が多い。
English: Also, note that some miko capable of performing kagura (Shinto dance and music) and teaching other miko continue to work even after they marry due to the need to pass on their knowledge and expertise to the younger generations.
Japanese: 尚、神楽を奉仕、指導する巫女については、技術継承などの問題から結婚してからも神社職員として続けている例もある。
English: Many shrines, regardless of their size, temporarily hire part-time miko during busy periods, such as the New Year holidays.
Japanese: 正月等の繁忙期には神社の大小に関わらず臨時のアルバイトを採用している例が多い。
English: Shrines that hire part-time miko refer to them as "helpers."
Japanese: 一般的にアルバイトと称される臨時雇用を神社では「助勤」「助務」と呼称される。
English: Part-time miko are recruited directly by shrines or through colleges or high schools.
Japanese: 神社独自で雇用を呼びかける、或いは大学・高等学校等への求人の呼びかけ等で採用される。
English: Some female students studying at schools for priests temporarily work for shrines as trainees or apprentice miko.
Japanese: また、神職養成機関に所属する女子学生が研修生・実習生として臨時に助勤巫女として奉仕する例もある。
English: Some shrines distinguish part-time miko from professional ones by requiring them, for example, to either wear or not wear chihaya (half-coats).
Japanese: 神社によっては、千早の着用の有無等で本職巫女と区別される場合もある。
English: In large shrines, as discussed earlier, professional miko employed by the shrine perform Urayasu no mai (Shinto dance and music) or more traditional kagura at ceremonies and rituals, whereas in many small shrines children temporarily serve as miko.
Japanese: 大規模な神社においては、前述の神社に勤務する巫女が祭祀の際に浦安の舞や伝統の巫女神楽を奉納するが、主に小規模な神社では、臨時に年少者が巫女として奉仕する例も多く存在する。
English: When dedicating kagura to the gods, miko often wear makeup, and for this special occasion it is applied heavily.
Japanese: 神楽を奉納する場合は化粧を施す事が多く、特別な場であることから厚化粧となる場合もある。
English: Although the hakama worn by a miko traditionally had a machi (divider that made it look like trousers) in it, a hakama called andon hakama (one without a divider) created by Utako SHIMODA, an educator, during the Meiji period became so popular among women that it has been adopted as the miko garment.
Japanese: 元来、袴は襠（まち）ありであったが、明治になって教育者の下田歌子が女学生用の袴として行灯袴を発明し、好評だったことから後に同じ女性である巫女の分野にも導入されることとなった。
English: These days, scarlet hakama without machi dividers are generally worn by miko, but some shrines have adopted the traditional type having a machi.
Japanese: したがって、現代は行灯型の緋袴が一般的であるが、伝統的な襠有りの袴を採用している神社もある。
English: However, a hakama without a machi might be inconvenient for the miko who must move her legs in time to the music when performing kagura.
Japanese: 特に神楽を舞う場合は足裁きの都合上、襠有りでないと不都合が生じることがある。
English: Additionally, some shrines have adopted koki-colored (red purple) hakama for young ladies.
Japanese: また、神社によっては若い女性向けの「濃」（こき、赤紫色）袴を用いるところもある。
English: In an official scene, such as when holding ceremonies or rituals or performing kagura, miko sometimes wear chihaya (half-coats) atop their costumes.
Japanese: 神事の奉仕や神楽を舞う場合など改まった場面では千早を上から羽織る場合もある。
English: Basically, miko tie back their dark hair using the combination of a danshi (quality Japanese paper), mizuhiki (colored string made of paper) and a takenaga (paper for ornament) (this method of tying the hair is called emotoyui), and may wear kamoji (false hair) to make her hair look longer.
Japanese: 髪型については、長い黒髪を後ろで檀紙や水引、装飾用の丈長等を組み合わせて（絵元結と呼ばれる）束ねるのを基本としているが、髪の長さを足すために髢（かもじ）を付ける場合もある。
English: The great stress on virginity held by modern Japanese society comes from the ideology of the samurai society, where the highest importance was attached to inheriting the family's estate properly, as well as the chastity valued by Christianity, which had spread since the Meiji period.
Japanese: 現代日本における処女性重視は近代以前の武家社会における志向（家督の正統継承）と、明治維新以後、キリスト教由来の貞操観念が普及したことに起因する。
English: Many people may misunderstand this, but protecting virginity has not always been stressed throughout the country's history from ancient times to the modern day.
Japanese: 勘違いされやすいが処女性重視は古代から現代まで一貫してあった価値観ではない。
English: However, many people today assume that miko have been virgin since ancient times, judging from the value they now have.
Japanese: しかし現代人は現代の価値観をもとに、巫女は古来から処女であったと思うことが多い。
English: Historically, we cannot definitively state that miko have been required to be virgins.
Japanese: だが歴史的に見て日本の巫女に処女性が求められていたと断言することは出来ない。
English: Today, it is impossible for a recruiting shrine to include a requirement for applicants to be virgin in terms of their freedom to choose their occupation and Equal Employment Opportunity Law.
Japanese: なお現代においては職業選択の自由、雇用機会均等法等の観点から、処女であることを求人要項に含めることは出来ない。
English: Some Buddhist temples hire young ladies who look exactly or nearly like miko, and in such cases they wear a white kimono and a scarlet hakama.
Japanese: 一部の仏教寺院では若い女性が白衣に緋袴という、巫女装束そのもの、又は類似の服装で奉職する場合がある。
English: Urayasu no mai performed by girl miko at Shofuku-ji Temple (Higashimurayama City) (intangible cultural heritage designated by the city) on November 3.
Japanese: 11月3日浦安の舞@正福寺（東村山市）（少女の巫女、市無形民俗文化財）
English: Besides the miko of Yamato Shinto discussed in this section, there are people around the world who can be regarded as miko if miko are interpreted as female shamans; they include Noro in Ryukyu (Okinawa), Ang-I in Taiwan, Mudang in Korea, the indigenous peoples of Siberia and the Americas, and the shaman of Africa.
Japanese: 本項で取り上げた大和の神道における巫女以外にも、「巫女」を「女性のシャーマン」として広義に解釈し、琉球のノロや台湾における尪姨、大韓民国のムーダンの他、シベリア、アメリカ州の先住民族、アフリカなどにみられるシャーマンが巫女と呼ばれる場合がある。
English: Sibyls, being female prophets in the legends of ancient Greece and Rome, are also translated as '巫女.'
Japanese: 古代ギリシア・ローマの伝説に現れる女予言者「シビル(巫女)」（enSibyl,sibylla）なども「巫女」と訳される。
English: In folklore, is shaman symbolizes a heretic who has eagerly awaited the coming of the Messiah, and in Christian art a shaman would often be depicted as carrying a book.
Japanese: 民間伝承では救世主を待望する異教徒のシンボルであり、キリスト教美術の図像にはアトリビュート（持物）として書物を持つ姿が多く見られる。
English: "The Sibyl of Phrygia," the prophet of the Resurrection, carries a crucifix, and "the Sibyl of Tibur" has had one of her hands cut off.
Japanese: 「フリュギアの巫女」は「復活」の預言者として十字架を伴い、「ティブルの巫女」は片手を切り落とされている。
English: "The Chokusai-sha shrine" is a shrine where festivals are attended by imperial messengers sent by the Emperor (called chokusai).
Japanese: 勅祭社（ちょくさいしゃ）とは、祭礼に際して天皇により勅使が遣わされる（これを勅祭という）神社のことである。
English: However, Ise Jingu Shrine's Godai-matsuri Festival (except for the Tsukinami-sai Festival) is treated separately, and, therefore, it is not called a chokusai-sha shrine, even though imperial messengers are sent every year.
Japanese: ただし、伊勢神宮は毎年五大祭（月次祭を除く。）に勅使が遣わされるが、別格とされ特に勅祭社と呼ばれてはいない。
English: Chokusai-sha shrines existed from long ago, and most notable were the Nijuni-sha Shrines in the Kyoto area.
Japanese: 勅祭社とされる神社は古くからあり、京都周辺の二十二社がその代表であった。
English: Modern chokusai-sha shrines were introduced in 1868, when Emperor Meiji held a festival in Hikawa-jinja Shrine as chokusai.
Japanese: 1868年（明治元年）、明治天皇が氷川神社の祭事を勅祭として行ったのが近代の勅祭社の始まりである。
English: In 1870, twelve shrines in Tokyo and neighboring areas were designated as junchokusai-sha shrines (Hie-jinja Shrine, Nezu-jinja Shrine, Shibashinmei-gu Shrine, Kanda-jinja Shrine, Hakusan-jinja Shrine, Kameido-jinja Shrine, Shinagawa Kibune-sha Shrine, Tomioka Hachiman-jinja Shrine, Oji-jinja Shrine, Akasaka Hikawa-jinja Shrine, Rokusho-jinja Shrine, Sagiinomiya-jinja Shrine), but this was temporary.
Japanese: 明治3年には東京とその附近の１２社を准勅祭社（日枝神社・根津神社・芝神明宮・神田神社・白山神社・亀戸神社・品川貴船社・富岡八幡神社・王子神社・赤坂氷川神社・六所神社・鷺宮神社）と定めたが、これらは一時的なものであった。
English: The beginning of chokusai-sha shrines was in 1883, when the Kamo-matsuri Festival and the Iwashimizu-matsuri Festival at Kamo-jinja Shrine (Kamomioya-jinja Shrine, Kamowakeikazuchi-jinja Shrine) and Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine were designated as chokusai.
Japanese: 今日につながる勅祭社のはじまりは、1883年明治16年、賀茂祭、石清水祭が勅祭と定められた賀茂神社（賀茂御祖神社、賀茂別雷神社）と石清水八幡宮である。
English: Their numbers have increased since then, and by the end of the war (1945), the following shrines were chokusai-sha shrines.
Japanese: 以後その数が増え、終戦（1945年）のときには以下の神社が勅祭社となっていた。
English: Shikinai' refers to shikinai-sha (shrine listed in the Engishiki (List of Official Shrines)) (Myojin refers to myojin-taisha shrine), 'Ichinomiya' refers to the ichinomiya (shrine with the highest ranking in the area) of the province, 'Beppyo' indicates the classification between beppyo-jinja shrine and tanritsu)
Japanese: 「式内」は式内社（名神は名神大社）、「一宮」は各国の一宮、「別表」は別表神社・単立の別）
English: Among these, imperial messengers are sent every ten years to Usa-jingu Shrine and Kashii-gu Shrine, every six years to Kashima-jingu Shrine and Katori-jingu Shrine, and to the grand festival in spring and autumn at the Yasukuni-jinja Shrine.
Japanese: このうち、宇佐神宮と香椎宮へは10年ごとに、鹿島神宮と香取神宮へは6年ごとに勅使が遣わされ、靖国神社には春秋二度の大祭に勅使が遣わされている。
English: The torii represents a dividing line (kekkai) between sacred and secular areas, serving as an entrance to the sacred world in Shinto shrines and other holy places.
Japanese: 鳥居（とりい）とは神社などにおいて神域と人間が住む俗界を区画するもの（結界）であり、神域への入口を示すもの。
English: Although some torii have been built at imperial tombs and Buddhist temples, a torii is typically a symbol of Shinto shrines and a symbol representing a gate is used on maps to identify shrines.
Japanese: 天皇陵や寺院に建てられていることもあるが、一般的には神社を象徴するものとして捉えられており、神社の地図記号は鳥居を図案化したものになっている。
English: They may have originated from the practice of placing bird perches before an altar that is associated with the Tokoyo no naganakidori (roosters) that were made to crow so as to draw Amaterasu Omikami (a female Shinto deity) out of Ama no iwato (literally, "the rock cave of heaven"), but other scholars suggest that they have foreign origins, believing that they may be related to one of the following: the torana (gate) of Indian Buddhism; the kahyo (a type of ceromonial column called "huabiao" in Chinese), torizao (a type of bird-catching pole), or pailo (a piece of architecture shaped like an archway) of China; the kozenmon (a red gate) of the Korean Peninsula; or the portable temples of Israel.
Japanese: アマテラス（あまてらすおおみかみ）を天岩戸から誘い出すために鳴かせた「常世の長鳴鳥」（ニワトリ）に因み、神前に鶏の止まり木を置いたことが起源であるとする説、インド仏教にみられるトラナや中国の華表や鳥竿、牌楼（ぱいろう）、朝鮮半島の紅箭門（こうぜんもん）、イスラエルの移動型神殿など海外に起源を求める説などがある。
English: There are several theories: the word may have originated from '鶏居' (bird perch), from "toori-iru (pass through and enter)" or from the way it had been pronounced ("Torana"), to which Chinese characters were applied.
Japanese: 鶏の止まり木を意味する「鶏居」を語源とする説、「とおりいる（通り入る）」が転じたとする説、トラナを漢字から借音し表記したとする説などがある。
English: When there is more than one torii in the approach, we call the first of the torii "ichi no torii' and the second of the torii "ni no torii," starting with the one farthest from the shrine.
Japanese: 一般にひとつの参道に複数の鳥居がある場合は、一番外側から「一の鳥居」、「二の鳥居」…と呼ぶ。
English: The torii's basic structure has two columns topped with horizontal rails respectively called the kasagi and shimagi, and below the top two rails is another horizontal rail called the nuki, which connects the two columns.
Japanese: 2本の柱の上に笠木（かさぎ）および島木（しまぎ）を渡し、その下に貫（ぬき）を入れて柱を固定したのが一般的な鳥居の構造である。
English: Torii are generally classified into two styles--the shinmei style and myojin style--from which various derivatives have been developed.
Japanese: 大別すると神明鳥居（しんめいとりい）と明神鳥居（みょうじんとりい）の2つに分類され、そこから派生した種々の形式がある。
English: The type of torii to be built is a matter of choice by the donor and has little bearing on the god worshipped in the shrine, as shown in Kashima Jingu Shrine, where a Kasuga-style torii is built; however, some torii (like Sanno-style torii) are associated with Hie Jinja Shrine (Sanno Jinja Shrine and Hiyoshi Jinja Shrine).
Japanese: 建てられる鳥居の形式は寄進者の好みによる事が多く、鹿島神社に春日鳥居が建てられるような事もあるように祭神と関連を持つことは少ないが、山王鳥居は日枝神社（山王神社、日吉神社）になどと結びつくものもある。
English: As a derivative of this type, torii that use a square log for the nuki are so commonly seen in gokoku jinja shrines (shrines designated as places of worship for people killed in the war), including Yasukuni Jinja Shrine, that they are distinguished from the rest and called Yasukuni torii.
Japanese: この形式のバリエーションとして、貫に角材を用いたものが、靖国神社をはじめとする各地の護国神社で広く見られることから、特に靖国鳥居と区別することがある。
English: Torii that are fully covered in copper sheets are called Karakane no torii and were depicted in the ukiyoe (woodblock prints) of the Edo period.
Japanese: 銅板で全体を葺いた鳥居を「唐金（からかね）の鳥居」と呼び、江戸時代には浮世絵などに描かれている。
English: Other torii made of unusual materials include the torii of Sueyama Jinja Shrine in Arita-cho, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture (made of porcelain); that of Hiko Jinja Shrine in Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture (made of duralumin), and that of Soegawa Jinja Shrine in Hachirogata-cho, Akita Prefecture (made of chloroethene).
Japanese: また佐賀県西松浦郡有田町にある陶山神社の鳥居は陶磁器製、京都府八幡市にある飛行神社の鳥居はジュラルミン製、秋田県八郎潟町にある副川神社の鳥居は塩化ビニール製など、その他の材料による変わり種の鳥居も存在する。
English: The current torii, completed in July 1875, is the eighth-generation torii as counted from the first one, which was built during the Heian period.
Japanese: 現在の鳥居は平安時代から数えて8代目で明治8年（1875年）7月に完成したもの。
English: Shingaku (a frame hung in front of the torii, carrying the name of the shrine): on the sea side: ’厳島神社' (Itsukushima Jinja Shrine) / on the shrine side: ’伊都岐島神社' (Itsukushima Jinja Shrine) (written by Prince Arisugawa Taruhito)
Japanese: 神額：沖側「厳島神社」、神社側「伊都岐島神社」（有栖川宮熾仁親王染筆）
English: Built in 1294, it is considered to be one of the oldest large stone torii in Japan.
Japanese: 永仁2年（1294年）に造られた日本最古の石造りの大鳥居の一つとされている。
English: Its hengaku (framed statement) reads, "This is the place where Buddha appeared and gave lectures to people, and is the east gate to Paradise."
Japanese: 扁額の文字「釈迦如来転法輪処当極楽土東門中心」この地は釈迦如来が現れて説教されたところで、極楽浄土の東門に当たる
English: Other examples where the torii gate mark is typically used include the map and a sign for banning urination and the unlawful dumping of garbage.
Japanese: 他に一般的に利用されているものでは神社をあらわす記号や小便無用、不法投棄のごみ除けなどにも利用が見受けられる。
English: Nowadays, we see torii as small as 10 to 50 centimeters high placed in residential or vacant areas.
Japanese: 近年、住宅街や空き地などに高さ10～50cmほどの小さな鳥居が設置されている場合がある。
English: The simplest torii is the one made of a thin board that is cut in the shape of a torii and attached to a concrete or block fence, which might also have one drawn on it in red paint.
Japanese: 簡素なものは薄い板きれをコンクリートブロック塀に貼り付けただけものや、塀に赤ペンキで描いただけのものである場合もある。
English: These small torii were set up to prevent the unlawful dumping of garbage, taking advantage of the innate human reverence for it as an entrance to the sacred world, and there have been real-world examples in which dumping has dramatically decreased.
Japanese: このような小鳥居はゴミの不法投棄を避けるために設置されたもので、鳥居を聖域の入り口として恐れ敬う人間心理を利用したものであり、不法投棄が激減したという実例があるという。
English: Additionally, note that in response to those who say it is a shame to imitate a real torii for this type of purpose, an unusual torii has been in use with the nuki (lower horizontal rail) being longer than the kasagi (upper horizontal rail), which is opposite that of the classical design.
Japanese: ちなみに実際の鳥居をそのまま模するのは恐れ多いという理由で、貫（下の横棒）が笠木（上の横棒）よりも長くなった本来とは逆の物を利用することもあるという。
English: Because it was started when illegal dumping was not a problem, this may have originated in an attempt to prevent people from urinating outside by drawing the shape of a torii in red paint at the bottom of a fence.
Japanese: これは、（以前は不法投棄はほとんど無かったので）立ち小便抑止の為、塀の下方等に鳥居形を赤の塗料で描いたものが原点のようである。
English: A komainu ("石獅子" in Chinese and "imperial guardian lion" in English) is an imaginary mythical beast that resembles a dog and lion mixed together.
Japanese: 狛犬（こまいぬ、中国語：石獅子、英語：imperialguardianlion）とは、犬に似た想像上の獣の像である。
English: Komainu are placed in pairs, one of each on either side of the entrance to a shrine or temple or the façade of its main hall.
Japanese: 神社や寺院の入口の両脇、あるいは本殿・本堂の正面左右などに1対で置かれている。
English: In the first place, there is no cultural history of Komainu in Korea, and the Chinese character, "高麗", has been used just to borrow the sound; Komainu was never meant to be a dog from Korea, but was thought to be an imaginary divine beast, and Shishi, the other in pairs, is a lion, which had never been witnessed by the Japanese at that time.
Japanese: また、朝鮮に狛犬の文化は無く、高麗とは音から来る当て字で「高麗の犬」という意味ではなく、あくまで「狛犬（こまいぬ）」という想像上の神獣であり、同じく対になる獅子も当時の日本人はライオンを見たことが無い。
English: This leads us to conclude that the Shishi is not a lion, but a mythical divine beast named "Shishi".
Japanese: そのため、これも獅子＝ライオンではなく「獅子（しし）」という神獣であると考えられる。
English: Typically, the statue on your right is an Agyo, which has no horns and has its mouth open.
Japanese: 一般的には、向かって右側の像は「阿形（あぎょう）」で、角はなく口は開いている。
English: The statue on your left is Ungyo, which has one horn, with its mouth closed.
Japanese: そして、向かって左側の像は「吽形（うんぎょう）」で、1本の角があり口を閉じている。
English: We often call them both "Komainu" without distinguishing them from each other, but more strictly speaking, they should be called "Shishi/komainu" as the statue without any horns is called "Shishi" and the other with a horn "Komainu".
Japanese: 両方の像を合わせて「狛犬」と称することが多いが、厳密には、角のない方の像を「獅子」、角のある方の像を「狛犬」と言い、1対で「獅子狛犬」と称するのが正しいとされている。
English: Although Komainu seen on the grounds of temples or shrines are often made of stone or bronze, some placed inside the main shrine are made of wood.
Japanese: 各地の寺社境内で見かける狛犬には石製や銅製のものが多いが、神社本殿内に置かれたものには木造の場合もある。
English: According to a description of Saemonfu of the Left and Right (the offices that safeguarded palace gates) in Volume 46 of Engishiki jinmyocho (a list of shrines), Komainu were placed on the left side of the Kaiin-mon gate on a Taigibi day (a day of an imperial ceremony) and returned to Saemonfu when the ceremony was over.
Japanese: 延喜式神名帳巻第46の左右衛門府に、大儀日にじ像を会員門左に置き終了時に本府に返却する。
English: Among the Shishi/komainu statues of that time, the ones in the Chinju Hachimangu shrine of the Yakushi-ji temple in Nara are well-known; they are made of wood and have been designated important cultural assets.
Japanese: 当時の獅子狛犬像としては、奈良・薬師寺の鎮守八幡宮の木像（重要文化財）が著名である。
English: However, as neither of the statues have a horn, they should be more appropriately called "Shishi pair".
Japanese: ただし、この薬師寺像は、左右とも角がなく、正式には「獅子1対」と呼ぶべきであろう。
English: Other Komainu statues that have been designated important cultural assets include those of the Daiho Jinja shrine in Shiga, the Kozan-ji temple in Kyoto, and the Itsukushima Jinja shrine in Hiroshima.
Japanese: 重要文化財指定の狛犬は他に、滋賀・大宝神社、京都・高山寺、広島・厳島神社などのものが著名である。
English: Although similar statues are found in China and Korea, those that come in a pair of A-un (Agyo and Ungyo) are typically seen in Japan.
Japanese: 狛犬は中国や大韓民国にも同様の物があるが、阿吽（あ・うん）の形があるのは日本で多く見られる特徴である。
English: This may be because they were under the influence of Kongo rikishi (a guardian deity of Buddhism) and the A-un style had already become the norm by the end of the Heian era.
Japanese: これは金剛力士の影響を受けたと考えられ平安時代には既に定着していた。
English: However, from modern to the present age in Japan, the vast number of Komainu have been made in various forms and shapes.
Japanese: ただし、日本の狛犬は近世から現代にかけて、各地の寺社に膨大な数が造られており、形態にもさまざまなバリエーションがある。
English: For example, the statues of other animals like boars, dragons, or foxes, play a similar role as well.
Japanese: 例えば、イノシシや龍、キツネの形の像が同様の役割を果たしていることもある。
English: Many shrines (or enshrined gods) have adopted specific animals as their Shinshi.
Japanese: この神使は神社（祀られる神）によって特定の動物が採用されている場合が少なからずある。
English: For example, at the Joken-ji temple in Tono, the statues of kappa (a legendary creature, assumed to carry a dish filled with water on its head) are standing where Komainu are supposed to be, following the local legend of the kappa.
Japanese: 例えば、遠野常堅寺では河童伝説に基づき狛犬の場所に河童像が置かれている、など。
English: Some insist that the above view is wrong as it is biologicallyimpossible for two Komainu to make a couple.
Japanese: つまり、狛犬同士がつがいとなることはあり得ないため、生物学的にはこの主張は誤り」とする見解がある。
English: On the other hand, some support the view that they are a couple as some breast-feed or pacify their Komainu or Shishi puppies.
Japanese: 一方で、「子狛犬あるいは子獅子をあやしているものや授乳しているものもあるため、夫婦で正しい」とする見解もある。
English: There is no use arguing over which is right, but the fact is that there are two theories; one is to support the view that a pair of Komainu is a couple and the other is to oppose to it.
Japanese: 厳密に正しい・正しくないで争うことに意味はないが、夫婦肯定説・夫婦否定説の両説がそれぞれ主張されている。
English: Ommyodo, which owes its origin to ancient Chinese natural philosophical theory and Inyo-gogyo-shiso theory (the way of Yin and Yang, combined with the Taoist theory of the five elements), is a system of natural science and the art of spell-casting that uniquely developed in Japan.
Japanese: 陰陽道（おんみょうどう）は、古代の中国で生まれた自然哲学思想、陰陽五行思想を起源として日本で独自の発展を遂げた自然科学と呪術の体系。
English: At one time, researchers thought that the philosophy of the Yin and Yang introduced into Japan developed into Ommyodo.
Japanese: かつては専門の研究者によっても、陰陽家の思想が日本に伝わったものが陰陽道である、と説明されてきた。
English: In recent years, however, it is thought that Ommyodo developed as follows; the Ommyo-gogyo-setsu theory, that combined the theory of Ommyo (the Yin and Yang), which considers that the universe has been derived from the Yin and Yang, and the theory of Gogyo-shiso, which considers that the universe consists of the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, developed uniquely in Japan into a practical fortune telling technique that could serve human needs based upon the auspicious and inauspicious signs obtained by observing the Yin and Yang in Nature and changes in the five elements, while being affected by Shinto, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Japanese: しかし、近年では、陰陽五行説が、自然界の万物は陰と陽の二気から生ずるとする陰陽と、万物は木・火・土・金・水の五行からなるとする五行思想を組み合わせ、自然界の陰陽と五行の変化を観察して瑞祥・災厄を判断し、人間界の吉凶を占う実用的技術として日本で受容され、神道、道教、仏教などからも様々な影響を受け取って日本特異の発展を遂げた結果誕生したものと考えられている。