Suwadaijin Shrine guardian dog statue shows Kanto Earthquake damage
諏訪大神社 震災語る狛犬の背中 たてがみ溶かした火柱
At Suwa Daijinsha in Yokosuka's Midorigaoka, one guardian dog statue lost its flowing mane on its back due to the 1923 Kanto Earthquake.
A pair of komainu (guardian dog) statues at the entrance of Suwa Daijinsha in Yokosuka City’s Midorigaoka neighborhood show a clear difference: only the right-hand statue has had the mane on its back melted away. The missing mane is a surviving scar from the Great Kanto Earthquake that struck on 1923-09-01, when fires—reported as tall pillars of flame—scorched parts of the shrine and its stone figures. Locals point to the damaged statue as a tangible reminder of the disaster and its lasting impact on the community.