Kirinjishi Head Wood carving

Kirinjishi Head Wood carving

The original Kirin Lion is based in gold, but the previous representative, Tatsunosuke, crafted a toy version with a predominantly red color scheme.

The Kirin Lion (Kirin Jishi) is a folk performing art that is transmitted in Tottori Prefecture and Hyogo Prefecture. It is a type of lion dance, but its motif is based on the Kirin, which gives it a longer face compared to a typical lion dance. The color is gold, it has a single horn, and its ears are upright.

It is a lion dance that has been passed down in Inaba Province (now the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture) for a long time. It is said to have originated in 1650 when the Tottori domain lord, Ikeda Mitsunaka, established the Tottori Toshogu Shrine (currently known as Ouchidani Shrine), and it was performed during the Gongen Festival’s procession. It is believed that the lion was transformed into the sacred beast, the Kirin, and the clown into the Shōjō (a mythical red-faced creature), symbolizing the authority of the Tokugawa and Ikeda clans.