Kyoto: Eel Statues Guard Entrance at Shrine; Worshipers Venerate These Fish as Messengers of Deity

The Yomiuri ShimbunThe statues of eels on both sides are seen in front of the torii gate at the Mishima Jinja Gohongu shrine in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. The Yomiuri Shimbun [posttime] JST, [postdate] KYOTO — Most Shinto shrines have a pair of komainu guardian lion dog statues flanking their entrance. But one shrine in Kyoto’s Higashiyama …