These are the golden
shachi-hoko (statues of a shachi, a
mythical creature like a dolphin) found
on the roof of Nagoya Castle.
There are two of these figures on the
roof, one male and one female. They are
covered with real gold. The shachi was
thought to blow spray into the air like a
whale, so statues of them were placed on
buildings to protect them from fire.
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