The Tomori Stone Lion (also, Tomimori Stone Lion and Tumui Stone Lion) is a stone shîsâ located in present-day Kochinda Town (Yaese Village) on the southern portion of Okinawa. It is the oldest village shîsâ on Okinawa.

This shîsâ was constructed in 1689 to defend the village of Tomimori from fire. Two stories exist about the reason for its construction. The first and most prevalent is that the village was continuously plagued by fires and sought the wisdom of a man from Kume Village. Based on his knowledge of feng shui, the man told the villagers to construct a stone lion-dog (as a higeshi, or protection from fire) and place it in the village, facing nearby Mt. Yaese, which the villagers believed was a hizan, or mountain of fire. The second story contends that a dragon lived in the hill on which the statue sits, and the citizens built the lion-dog to keep the fire-breathing beast at bay.

The Tomori Stone Lion played an important role in the prevalence and spread of shîsâ on Okinawa. Other centuries-old shîsâ on the southern end of the island also face Mt. Yaese and were constructed sometime after 1689, leading historians to believe that the Tomori Shîsâ was the root of the concept of village shîsâ. And village shîsâ were integral to ordinary Okinawans’ adoption of the use of rooftop shîsâ on their homes.

The statue is recognizable to Americans from a photo taken during the Battle of Okinawa in which soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 7th Division are hunkered down around it, taking fire from Japanese forces.

The shîsâ is 5’2” (1.57 meters) tall. Most American visitors are surprised to see it surrounded by a grove of trees, as in the photo, it is standing atop a hill, surrounded by no foliage. Close examination of the statue reveals bullet holes sustained during the Battle of Okinawa. Many visitors place yen coins in the shîsâ’s mouth, as this practice is said to bring good luck.

The Tomori Stone Lion is located in a semi-maintained park, not far from Cape Kyan.