These figures are often seen at Shinto shrines.
They represent imaginary creatures that protect the shrine.
The construction of the closer guardian statue was started by the sculptor Goto Naoshi during the Greater East Asian War and completed by his personal pupil Yatsuyanagi Kyoji in 1966 following Goto’s death after the war.
The guardian statue near the large torii gate with a child on its back is the oldest on the shrine grounds.