The Four Guardians

The four directional guardians are shown here in their standard locations and attributes. In the upper photo, East (l.) with pipa and South (r.) with sword; In the lower photo, West (l.) with dragon and North (r.) with spear and pagoda. When you are inside the gate and looking at the figures, then North and South are diagonally opposite, as are East and West, and the whole arrangement is directionally correct.