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Shachi Tiles

The roofs of many castles are adorned with ornamental ridge-end tiles in the shape of creatures called shachi (or shachihoko). These legendary beasts have the heads of tigers and the bodies of fish. According to folklore, shachi can spray water from their mouths to put out fires, and the tiles were believed to protect the castle.

Shachi tiles likely developed from similar tiles that were placed on the roofs of ancient palaces and temples. Much like the guardian lion-dogs (komainu) seen at Shinto shrines, shachi frequently appear in male–female pairs. The male’s open mouth and the closed mouth of the female are said to represent the sounds “a” and “m.” These two sounds signify the beginning and the end of all things, and they have deep significance within Buddhism and other religions that originate from India.

The tiles displayed here were removed from the roof of the Great Keep during repairs in the 1950s. The male is 127 centimeters from base to tail and was located on the southern end of the roof, while the female measures 124 centimeters and was located on the northern end. Inscriptions on the two wooden posts that held the tiles indicates this pair of shachi was likely added to the castle in 1843.

鯱瓦

日本許多天守的屋脊兩端都裝飾著虎頭魚身的鴟尾，這是一種想像中的神獸「鯱」。在民間傳說中，萬一發生火災，鯱能從口中噴水滅火，保護房屋免受火患。有研究認為，鯱瓦在鐮倉時代（1185-1333）隨唐朝寺院建築樣式從中國傳入日本。

鯱瓦的前身可能是古代宮殿和寺院屋頂上具有相同防火神力的屋脊瓦。和常見於神社的守護狛犬（日本石獅）相似，鯱也常常雌雄成對出現。雄鯱張口、雌鯱閉口，據說分別對應「a」和「n」兩個發音。在佛教和源自印度的其他宗教中，這兩個音代表著萬事萬物的起始與終結，意義深遠。

這裡展出的鯱瓦來自大天守的屋頂，雄鯱高127公分，原位於屋頂南端；雌鯱高124公分，原位於屋頂北端，是1950年代的大整修期間拆下來的。根據兩根應該是同時期替換的「鯱真木」（支撐瓦片的木柱）上的銘文推測，這對鯱瓦很可能製作於1843年。

鯱瓦

日本许多天守的屋脊两端都装饰着虎头鱼身的鸱尾，这是一种想象中的生物，称为“鯱”。在民间传说中，万一发生火灾，鯱能从口中喷水灭火，保护房屋免受火患。有研究认为，鯱瓦是在镰仓时代(1185-1333)随唐朝寺院建筑样式从中国传入日本的。

鯱瓦的前身可能是古代宫殿和寺院屋顶上具有相同防火神力的屋脊瓦。和常见于神社的守护狛犬（日本石狮）相似，鯱也常常雌雄成对出现。雄鯱张口，雌鯱闭口，据说分别对应“a”和“n”两个发音。在佛教和源自印度的其他宗教中，这两个音代表着万事万物的起始与终结，意义深远。

这里展出的鯱瓦原本位于大天守的屋顶，在20世纪50年代的大整修期间拆下。雄鯱高127厘米，原位于屋顶南端；雌鯱高124厘米，原位于屋顶北端。根据两根应该是在同时期替换的“鯱真木”（支撑瓦片的木柱）上的铭文推测，这对鯱瓦很可能制作于1843年。