Tengu and a Buddhist monk, by Kawanabe Kyōsai. The tengu wears the cap and pom-pommed sash of a follower of Shugendō.

Tengu (天狗, Tengu^? "heavenly dogs") are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai (monster-spirits) and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami (revered spirits or gods). Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon, the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is practically the tengu's defining characteristic in the popular imagination. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 754 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 795 pixel, file size: 371 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A tengu and a Buddhist monk. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 754 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 795 pixel, file size: 371 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A tengu and a Buddhist monk. ... Bake-Bake Gakkō (化々學校), or School for Spooks, by Kyōsai. ... Japanese folklore is the folklore of Japan. ... Bronze statue of Amida Buddha at Kotokuin in Kamakura (1252 CE) Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper, and a myriad of other types of works of art. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Japanese literature spans a period of almost two millennia. ... ukiyo-e print of yōkai, by Aotoshi Matsui Yōkai apparitions, spirits, or demons, also romanized youkai, yokai, or yookai) are a class of obake, creatures in Japanese folklore (many with Chinese origins) ranging from the evil oni to the mischievous kitsune or snow woman Yuki-onna. ... Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... “Megami” redirects here. ... Orders Accipitriformes     Cathartidae     Pandionidae     Accipitridae     Sagittariidae Falconiformes     Falconidae A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts its food, especially one that preys on mammals or other birds. ...

Buddhism long held that the tengu were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. Tengu are associated with the ascetic practice known as Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the distinctive garb of its followers, the yamabushi. This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... St. ... A harbinger is a sign of things to come. ... “Megami” redirects here. ... The word ascetic derives from the ancient Greek term askesis (practice, training or exercise). ... Shugendō (修験道) is an old Japanese way of studying the relationship between Man and Nature. ... Modern-day yamabushi blowing a horagai Yamabushi ) (Literally: Those who hide in the mountains) were Japanese mountain ascetics and warriors, mostly of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. ...

Image

Kobayakawa Takakage debating with the tengu of mount Hiko, by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. The tengu's nose protrudes just enough to differentiate him from an ordinary yamabushi.

The tengu in art appears in a large number of shapes, but it usually falls somewhere between a large, monstrous bird and a wholly anthropomorphized being, often with a red face or an unusually large or long nose. Early depictions of tengu show them as kite-like beings who can take a human-like form, often retaining avian wings, head or beak. The tengu's long nose seems to have been conceived sometime in the 14th century, likely as a humanization of the original bird's bill.^[1] The tengu's long noses ally them with the Shinto deity Sarutahiko, who is described in the Japanese historical text, the Nihon Shoki, with a similar proboscis measuring seven hand-spans in length.^[2] In village festivals the two figures are often portrayed with identical red, phallic-nosed mask designs.^[3] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 394 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (466 × 708 pixel, file size: 164 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Kobayakawa Takakage, 1892. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 394 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (466 × 708 pixel, file size: 164 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Kobayakawa Takakage, 1892. ... Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 - June 9, 1892) (Japanese: 月岡 芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi) was the last great master - and one of the great innovative and creative geniuses - of the Japanese woodblock print. ... An anthropomorphic character; a cat ascribed human characteristics. ... Genera Milvinae    Harpagus    Ictinia    Rostrhamus    Haliastur    Milvus    Lophoictinia    Hamirostra Elaninae    Elanus    Chelictinia    Machaerhamphus    Gampsonyx    Elanoides Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. ... Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... Sarutahiko-no-Oh-Kami (サルタヒコ), is a kami, a deity of the Japanese religion of Shinto. ... Nihonshoki (日本書紀) is the second oldest history book about the ancient history of Japan. ... Stalls selling food or toys are a familiar sight at festivals throughout Japan. ...

Some of the earliest representations of tengu appear in Japanese picture scrolls, such as the Tenguzōshi Emaki (天狗草子絵巻, Tenguzōshi Emaki^?), painted ca. 1296, which parodies high-ranking priests by endowing them the hawk-like beaks of tengu demons.^[4] Tengu are often pictured as taking the shape of some sort of priest. Beginning in the 13th century, tengu came to be associated in particular with the yamabushi, the mountain ascetics who practice Shugendō.^[5] The association soon found its way into Japanese art, where tengu are most frequently depicted in the yamabushi's distinctive costume, which includes a small black cap (頭襟, tokin^?) and a pom-pommed sash (結袈裟, yuigesa^?).^[6] Modern-day yamabushi blowing a horagai Yamabushi ) (Literally: Those who hide in the mountains) were Japanese mountain ascetics and warriors, mostly of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. ... Shugendō (修験道) is an old Japanese way of studying the relationship between Man and Nature. ...

Tengu are commonly depicted holding magical hauchiwa (羽団扇, hauchiwa^?), fans made of feathers. In folk tales, these fans sometimes have the ability to grow or shrink a person's nose, but usually they are attributed the power to stir up great winds. Various other strange accessories may be associated with tengu, such as a type of tall, one-toothed geta sandal often called tengu-geta.^[7] A pair of geta Geta (下駄) are a form of Japanese footwear that resembles both clogs and flip-flops. ...

Origins

Tengu as a kite-like monster, from Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yakō

The term tengu and the characters used to write it are borrowed from the name of a fierce demon from Chinese folklore called tiāngoǔ. Chinese literature assigns this creature a variety of descriptions, but most often it is a fierce and anthropophagous canine monster that resembles a shooting star or comet. It makes a noise like thunder and brings war wherever it falls. One account from the Shù Yì Jì (述異記, "A Collection of Bizarre Stories"), written in 1791, describes a dog-like tiāngoǔ with a sharp beak and an upright posture, but usually tiāngoǔ bear little resemblance to their Japanese counterparts.^[8] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Kappa Toriyama Sekien (Japanese: 鳥山石燕; 1712-1788) was a print artist of the genre ukiyo-e who specialised in yokai. ... List of Creatures Illustrated in Toriyama Sekiens Gazu Hyakki Yakō (画図百鬼夜行) First Volume - é™° Kodama (木魅) The spirit of a hundred-year-old tree, illustrated as an old man. ... The tiāngoÇ” (Wade-Giles:Tien kou; 天狗; celestial dog) is a legendary creature from China. ...

The 23rd chapter of the Nihon Shoki, written in 720, is generally held to contain the first recorded mention of tengu in Japan. In this account a large shooting star appears and is identified by a Buddhist priest as a "heavenly dog", and much like the tiāngoǔ of China, the star precedes a military uprising. Although the Chinese characters for tengu are used in the text, accompanying phonetic furigana characters give the reading as amatsukitsune (heavenly fox). M.W. de Visser speculated that the early Japanese tengu may represent a conglomeration of two Chinese spirits: the tiāngoǔ and the fox spirits called huli jing.^[9] Nihonshoki (日本書紀) is the second oldest history book about the ancient history of Japan. ... Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Rōmaji ローマ字 Category Furigana (Japanese: ふりがな), are a Japanese reading aid. ... nine-tailed fox, from the Qing edition of the Shan Hai Jing Huli jing (狐狸精 hÇ”lijÄ«ng) in Chinese mythology are fox spirits that are akin to European faeries or to the Japanese yōkai known as kitsune. ...

How the tengu was transformed from a dog-meteor into a bird-man is not clear. Some Japanese scholars have supported the theory that the tengu's image derives from that of the Hindu eagle deity Garuda, who was pluralized in Buddhist scripture as one of the major races of non-human beings. Like the tengu, the garuda are often portrayed in a human-like form with wings and a bird's beak. The name tengu seems to be written in place of that of the garuda in a Japanese sutra called the Enmyō Jizō Kyō (延命地蔵経), but this was likely written in the Edo period, long after the tengu's image was established. At least one early story in the Konjaku Monogatari describes a tengu carrying off a dragon, which is reminiscent of the garuda's feud with the nāga serpents. In other respects, however, the tengu's original behavior differs markedly from that of the garuda, which is generally friendly towards Buddhism. De Visser has speculated that the tengu may be descended from an ancient Shinto bird-demon which was syncretized with both the garuda and the tiāngoǔ when Buddhism arrived in Japan. However, he found little evidence to support this idea.^[10] This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... SÅ«tra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ... The Edo period ), also called Tokugawa period, is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868. ... Konjaku MonogatarishÅ« (今昔物語集, kon present + jaku past + monogatari tale + shÅ« collection) is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian Period (794-1192). ... A naga guarding the Temple of Wat Sisaket in Viang Chan, Laos Nāga (Sanskrit:) is the Sanskrit and Pāli word for a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a very large snake, found in Hinduism and Buddhism. ... Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. ...

A later version of the Kujiki, an ancient Japanese historical text, writes the name of Amanozako, a monstrous female deity born from the god Susanoo's spat-out ferocity, with characters meaning tengu deity (天狗神). The book describes Amanozako as a raging creature capable of flight, with the body of a human, the head of a beast, a long nose, long ears, and long teeth that can chew through swords. An 18th century book called the Tengu Meigikō (天狗名義考, Tengu Meigikō^?) suggests that this goddess may be the true predecessor of the tengu, but the date and authenticity of the Kujiki, and of that edition in particular, remain disputed.^[11] Kujiki ), or Sendai Kuji Hongi ), is an ancient Japanese historical text. ... Amanozako (天逆毎, heaven opposing everything) is a monstrous goddess from Shintō mythology. ... Susanoo, (Japanese: 須佐之男命, Susanoo-no-mikoto; also romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-o, and Susanowo) in Shinto is the god of the sea and storms. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Evil spirits and angry ghosts

Iga no Tsubone confronts the tormented spirit of Sasaki no Kiyotaka, by Yoshitoshi. Sasaki's ghost appears with the wings and claws of a tengu.

The Konjaku Monogatari, a collection of stories published sometime during the late Heian Period, contains some of the earliest tales of tengu, already characterized as they would be for centuries to come. These tengu are the troublesome opponents of Buddhism, who mislead the pious with false images of Buddha, carry off monks and drop them in remote places, possess women in an attempt to seduce holy men, rob temples, and endow those who worship them with unholy power. They often disguise themselves as priests or nuns, but their true form seems to be that of a kite.^[12] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 408 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (449 × 660 pixel, file size: 115 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Mount Yoshino Midnight Moon, 1886. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 408 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (449 × 660 pixel, file size: 115 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Mount Yoshino Midnight Moon, 1886. ... Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 - June 9, 1892) (Japanese: 月岡 芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi 大蘇　芳年) was the last great master - and one of the great innovative and creative geniuses - of the Japanese woodblock print. ... Konjaku MonogatarishÅ« (今昔物語集, kon present + jaku past + monogatari tale + shÅ« collection) is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian Period (794-1192). ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Heian Period. ...

Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, accounts continued of tengu attempting to cause trouble in the world. They were now established as the ghosts of angry, vain, or heretical priests who had fallen on the "tengu-road" (天狗道, tengudō). They began to possess people, especially women and girls, and speak through their mouths ( kitsunetsuki). Still the enemies of Buddhism, the demons also turned their attention to the royal family. The Kojidan tells of an Empress who was possessed, and the Ōkagami reports that Emperor Sanjō was made blind by a tengu, the ghost of a priest who resented the throne. ^[13] (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Prince Hanzoku terrorized by a nine-tailed fox. ... The Kojidan ) is a collection of tales from the early Kamakura period, compiled by Minamoto Akikane. ... The Great Mirror or ÅŒkagami (大鏡) is a Japanese historical tale by an unknown author that covers from 850 to 1025, the golden days of Fujiwara familys rule. ...

One notorious tengu from the 12th century was himself the ghost of an emperor. The Hōgen Monogatari tells the story of Emperor Sutoku, who was forced by his father to abandon the throne. When he later raised the Hōgen Rebellion to take back the country from Emperor Go-Shirakawa, he was defeated and exiled to Sanuki Province on Shikoku. According to legend he died in torment, having sworn to haunt the nation of Japan as a great demon, and thus became a fearsome tengu with long nails and eyes like a kite's. ^[14] The Tale of Hōgen, or the Hōgen Monogatari ), is a Japanese war chronicle detailing the events of the Hōgen Rebellion. ... Emperor Sutoku (崇徳天皇 Sutoku Tennō) (7 July 1119 – 14 September 1164) was the 75th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. ... Combatants Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Shirakawa Forces loyal to retired Emperor Sutoku Commanders Fujiwara no Tadamichi, Minamoto no Tameyoshi, Taira no Tadamasa Fujiwara no Yorinaga, Taira no Kiyomori, Minamoto no Yoshitomo Strength Unknown Unknown, incl. ... Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇 Go-Shirakawa Tennō) (October 18, 1127 – April 26, 1192) was the 77th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. ... Sanuki (讃岐国; -no kuni) was an old province of Japan on the island of Shikoku, with the same boundaries as modern Kagawa Prefecture. ... This article is about the island. ...

In stories from the 13th century, tengu began to abduct young boys as well as the priests they had always targeted. The boys were often returned, while the priests would be found tied to the tops of trees or other high places. All of the tengu's victims, however, would come back in a state of near death or madness, sometimes after having been tricked into eating animal dung. ^[15]

The tengu of this period were often conceived of as the ghosts the arrogant, and as a result the creatures have became strongly associated with vanity and pride. Today the Japanese expression tengu ni naru, literally, "he is turning into a tengu", is still used to describe a conceited person.^[16]

Great and small demons

In the Genpei Jōsuiki, written in the late Kamakura period, a god appears to Go-Shirakawa and gives a detailed account of tengu ghosts. He says that they fall onto the tengu road because, as Buddhists, they cannot go to Hell, yet as people with bad principles, they also cannot go to Heaven. He describes the appearance of different types of tengu: the ghosts of priests, nuns, ordinary men, and ordinary women, all of whom in life possessed excessive pride. The god introduces the notion that not all tengu are equal; knowledgeable men become daitengu (大天狗, big tengu, daitengu^?), but ignorant ones become kotengu (小天狗, small tengu, kotengu^?).^[17] The Genpei Jōsuiki, also known as the Genpei Seisuiki ), is a 48-book extended version of the Heike Monogatari. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Kamakura Period. ... Diyu (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ti-yü; Japanese: 地獄, jigoku, literally earth prison) is the realm of the dead or hell in Chinese mythology. ... Buddhist concept. ...

The philosopher Hayashi Razan lists the greatest of these daitengu as Sōjōbō of Kurama, Tarōbō of Atago, and Jirōbō of Hira.^[18] The demons of Kurama and Atago are among the most famous tengu.^[19] Hayashi Razan (1583-1657) was a Japanese Neo-Confucianist philosopher, serving as an advisor to the first three shoguns of the Tokugawa bakufu. ... Sōjōbō is the mythical king of the tengu, minor deities who inhabit the mountains of forests of Japan. ... Shrine at Kurama-dera Mount Kurama (Japanese: 鞍馬山, Kurama-yama) is a mountain to the northwest of Kyoto city. ... Mount Atago ) is a mountain in the northwestern part of Ukyo-ku, in the city of Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. ... The Hira Mountains ) are a mountainous region to the west of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. ...

A section of the Tengu Meigikō, later quoted by Inoue Enryō, lists the daitengu in this order: Inoue Enryō ), founder of Toyo University, was a Japanese educator, philosopher and Buddhist. ...

• Sōjōbō (僧正坊, Sōjōbō^?) of Mount Kurama
• Tarōbō (太郎坊, Tarōbō^?) of Mount Atago
• Jirōbō (二郎坊, Jirōbō^?) of the Hira Mountains
• Sanjakubō (三尺坊, Sanjakubō^?) of Mount Akiba
• Ryūhōbō (笠鋒坊, Ryūhōbō^?) of Mount Kōmyō
• Buzenbō (豊前坊, Buzenbō^?) of Mount Hiko
• Hōkibō (伯耆坊, Hōkibō^?) of Mount Daisen
• Myōgibō (妙義坊, Myōgibō^?) of Mount Ueno (Ueno Park)
• Sankibō (三鬼坊, Sankibō^?) of Itsukushima
• Zenkibō (前鬼坊, Zenkibō^?) of Mount Ōmine
• Kōtenbō (高天坊, Kōtenbō^?) of Katsuragi
• Tsukuba-hōin (筑波法印, Tsukuba-hōin^?) of Hitachi Province
• Daranibō (陀羅尼坊, Daranibō^?) of Mount Fuji
• Naigubu (内供奉, Naigubu^?) of Mount Takao
• Sagamibō (相模坊, Sagamibō^?) of Shiramine
• Saburō (三郎, Saburō^?) of Mount Iizuna
• Ajari (阿闍梨, Ajari^?) of Higo Province^[20]

Daitengu are often pictured in a more human-like form than their underlings, and due to their long noses, they may also called hanatakatengu (鼻高天狗, tall-nosed tengu, hanatakatengu^?). Kotengu may conversely be depicted as more bird-like. They are sometimes called karasu-tengu (烏天狗, crow tengu, karasu-tengu^?), or koppa- orkonoha-tengu (木葉天狗, 木の葉天狗foliage tengu, koppa- orkonoha-tengu^?).^[21] Inoue Enryō described two kinds of tengu in his Tenguron: the great daitengu, and the small, bird-like konoha-tengu who live in Cryptomeria trees. The konoha-tengu are noted in a book from 1746 called the Shokoku Rijin Dan (諸国里人談, Shokoku Rijin Dan^?), as bird-like creatures with wings two meters across which were seen catching fish in the Ōi River, but this name rarely appears in literature otherwise.^[22] Shrine at Kurama-dera Mount Kurama (Japanese: 鞍馬山, Kurama-yama) is a mountain to the northwest of Kyoto city. ... Mount Atago ) is a mountain in the northwestern part of Ukyo-ku, in the city of Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. ... The Hira Mountains ) are a mountainous region to the west of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. ... Mount Akiba ) is a mountain in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, which comprises the southern tip of the Akaishi Mountains. ... Mount Kōmyō ) is a mountain in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. ... Mount Hiko ), is a mountain on the border between Fukuoka Prefecture and ÅŒita Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. ... Ben D. 04:01, 1 October 2005 (UTC) Categories: Possible copyright violations ... People enjoying cherry blossoms Ueno Park (上野公園 Ueno Kōen) is a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan. ... This torii at the Itsukushima Shrine welcomes visitors to the island. ... Mount Omine ), is a sacred mountain in Nara, Japan, famous for its controversial ban on women and for its three tests of courage. ... Katsuragi (葛城市) is a city in Nara Prefecture, Japan. ... Categories: Japan geography stubs | Old provinces of Japan ... Mount Fuji Mount Fuji , IPA: )   is the highest mountain in Japan. ... Mount Takao (高尾山 takaosan) is a mountain in the city of Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. ... Shiramine (白峰村; -mura) is a village located in Ishikawa District, Ishikawa, Japan. ... Mount Iizuna ), also known as Mount Izuna ), is a mountain located ten kilometers north-northwest of the heart of Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. ... The article incorporates text from OpenHistory. ... Inoue Enryō ), founder of Toyo University, was a Japanese educator, philosopher and Buddhist. ... Binomial name Cryptomeria japonica (L.f. ... // Events Catharine de Ricci (born 1522) canonized. ... The upper ÅŒi River meets its tributary Sumata Travellers Crossing the Oi River by Hokusai The ÅŒi River ) is a river in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. ...

Creatures that do not fit the classic bird or yamabushi image are sometimes called tengu. For example, tengu in the guise of wood-spirits may be called guhin (occasionally written kuhin) (狗賓, dog guests^?), but this word can also refer to tengu with canine mouths or other features.^[23] The people of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku believe in a creature called shibaten or shibatengu (シバテン, 芝天狗, lawn tengu, shibaten or shibatengu^?), but this is a small child-like being who loves sumō wrestling and sometimes dwells in the water, and is generally considered one of the many kinds of kappa.^[24] Another water-dwelling tengu is the kawatengu (川天狗, river tengu, kawatengu^?) of the Greater Tokyo Area. This creature is rarely seen, but it is believed to create strange fireballs and be a nuisance to fishermen. ^[25] Kōchi Prefecture ) is located on the south coast of Shikoku, Japan. ... This article is about the island. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not adequately cite its references. ... The Greater Tokyo Area (東京都市圏 Tōkyō-toshiken), also the Tokyo-Yokohama area, is a large metropolitan area in Japan consisting of the metropolis of Tokyo and the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama. ...

Protective spirits and deities

A tengu mikoshi (portable shrine) in the city of Beppu, Ōita Prefecture, on Kyūshū.

The Shasekishū, a book of Buddhist parables from the Kamakura period, makes a point of distinguishing between good and bad tengu. The book explains that the former are in command of the latter and are the protectors, not opponents, of Buddhism - although the flaw of pride or ambition has caused them to fall onto the demon road, they remain the same basically good, dharma-abiding persons they were in life.^[26] Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 409 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1932 × 2832 pixel, file size: 4. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 409 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1932 × 2832 pixel, file size: 4. ... This mikoshi enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Toshogu in Nikko A mikoshi (神輿、みこし) is a portable Shinto shrine that serves as the vehicle of a divine spirit in Japan at the time of a parade of deities. ... Map showing location of Beppu in Oita Prefecture (as of 2006). ... ÅŒita Prefecture ) is located on KyÅ«shÅ« Island, Japan. ... KyÅ«shÅ« region of Japan and the current prefectures on KyÅ«shÅ« island KyÅ«shÅ« ), literally Nine Provinces, is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ... The ShasekishÅ« ), translated into English as Sand and Pebbles, is a five-volume collection of Buddhist parables written by the Japanese monk MujÅ« Ichien the Kamakura period. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Kamakura Period. ...   (Sanskrit) (Devnagari: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pali) is the underlying order in nature and human life and behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ...

The tengu's unpleasant image continued to erode in the 17th century. Some stories now presented them as much less malicious, protecting and blessing Buddhist institutions rather than menacing them or setting them on fire. According to a legend in the 18th-century Kaidan Toshiotoko (怪談登志男, Kaidan Toshiotoko^?), a tengu took the form of a yamabushi and faithfully served the abbot of a Zen monastery until the man guessed his attendant's true form. The tengu's wings and huge nose then reappeared. The tengu requested a piece of wisdom from his master and left, but he continued, unseen, to provide the monastery with miraculous aid.^[27] Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom—particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen—in the attainment of awakening. ...

A Yamabushi Tengu (山伏天狗, Yamabushi Tengu^?)

In the 18th and 19th centuries, tengu came to be feared as the vigilant protectors of certain forests. In the 1764 collection of strange stories Sanshu Kidan (三州奇談, Sanshu Kidan^?), a tale tells of a man who wanders into a deep valley while gathering leaves, only to be faced with a sudden and ferocious hailstorm. A group of peasants later tell him that he was in the valley where the guhin live, and anyone who takes a single leaf from that place will surely die. In the Sōzan Chomon Kishū (想山著聞奇集, Sōzan Chomon Kishū^?), written in 1849, the author describes the customs of the wood-cutters of Mino Province, who used a sort of rice cake called kuhin-mochi to placate the tengu, who would otherwise perpetrate all sorts of mischief. In other provinces a special kind of fish called okoze was offered to the tengu by woodsmen and hunters, in exchange for a successful day's work.^[28] The people of Ishikawa Prefecture have until recently believed that the tengu loathe mackerel, and have used this fish as a charm against kidnappings and hauntings by the mischievous spirits. ^[29] Image File history File links Tengu. ... Image File history File links Tengu. ... 1764 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Mino (美濃国; -no kuni) is an old province of Japan, which today composes nearly the southern part of Gifu prefecture. ... Rice Cake Pounding mochi in an usu Making mochi with a modern piece of equipment Mochi (Japanese: ; Chinese: ()) is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. ... Ishikawa Prefecture ) is located in the Chubu region on Honshu island, Japan. ... Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. ...

Tengu are worshipped as beneficial kami (gods or revered spirits) in various Japanese religious cults. For example, the tengu Saburō of Izuna is worshipped on that mountain and various others as Izuna Gongen (飯綱権現, incarnation of Izuna, Izuna Gongen^?), one of the primary deities in the Izuna Shugen cult, which also has ties to fox sorcery and the Dakini of Tantric Buddhism. Izuna Gongen is depicted as a beaked, winged figure with snakes wrapped around his limbs, surrounded by a halo of flame, riding on the back of a fox and brandishing a sword. Worshippers of tengu on other sacred mountains have adopted similar images for their deities, such as Sanjakubō (三尺坊, Sanjakubō^?) or Akiba Gongen (秋葉権現, Akiba Gongen^?) of Akiba and Dōryō Gongen (道了権現, Dōryō Gongen^?) of Saijō-ji Temple in Odawara.^[30] “Megami” redirects here. ... Mount Iizuna ), also known as Mount Izuna ), is a mountain located ten kilometers north-northwest of the heart of Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. ... Prince Hanzoku terrorized by a nine-tailed fox. ... A dakini (Sanskrit: sky dancer; Chinese language: 空行女) is a Tantric priestess of ancient India who carried the souls of the dead to the sky. This Buddhist figure is particularly upheld in Tibetan Buddhism. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mount Akiba ) is a mountain in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, which comprises the southern tip of the Akaishi Mountains. ... Odawara Castle Odawara (Japanese: 小田原市; -shi) is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. ...

In popular folk tales

The folk hero Kintarō upsets a nest of small tengu.

Tengu appear frequently in the orally-transmitted tales collected by Japanese folklorists. As these stories are often humorous, they tend to portray tengu as ridiculous creatures who are easily tricked or confused by humans. Some common folk tales in which tengu appear include: Image File history File links Size of this preview: 227 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (542 × 1428 pixel, file size: 96 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Tengu ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 227 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (542 × 1428 pixel, file size: 96 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Tengu ... This article is about the Japanese folklore hero; for the Mortal Kombat character, see Kintaro (Mortal Kombat character). ...

• "The Tengu's Magic Cloak" (天狗の隠れみの, Tengu no Kakuremino^?): A boy looks through an ordinary piece of bamboo and pretends he can see distant places. A tengu, overwhelmed by curiosity, offers to trade it for a magic straw cloak that renders the wearer invisible. Having duped the tengu, the boy continues his mischief while wearing the cloak.^[31]

• "The Old Man's Lump Removed" (瘤取り爺さん, Kobu-tori Jiisan^?): An old man has a lump or tumor on his face. In the mountains he encounters a band of tengu making merry and joins their dancing. He pleases them so much that they take the lump off his face, thinking that he will want it back and join them the next night. An unpleasant neighbor, who also has a lump, hears of the old man's good fortune and attempts to repeat it. The tengu, however, simply give him the first lump in addition to his own, either to keep their bargain, or because they are disgusted by his bad dancing.^[32]

• "The Tengu's Fan" (天狗の羽団扇, Tengu no Hauchiwa^?) A scoundrel obtains a tengu's magic fan, which can shrink or grow noses. He secretly uses this item to grotesquely extend the nose of a rich man's daughter, and then shrinks it again in exchange for her hand in marriage. Later he accidentally fans himself while he dozes, and his nose grows so long it reaches heaven, resulting in painful misfortune for him.^[33]

• "The Tengu's Gourd" (天狗の瓢箪, "Tengu no Hyōtan"^?): A gambler meets a tengu, who asks him what he is most frightened of. The gambler lies, claiming that he is terrified of gold or mochi. The tengu answers truthfully that he is frightened of a kind of plant or some other mundane item. The tengu, thinking he is playing a cruel trick, then causes money or rice cakes to rain down on the gambler. The gambler is of course delighted and proceeds to scare the tengu away with the thing he fears most. The gambler then obtains the tengu's magic gourd (or another treasured item) that was left behind.^[34]

• A tengu bothers a woodcutter, showing off his supernatural abilities by guessing everything the man is thinking. The woodcutter swings his axe, and a splinter of wood hits the tengu on the nose. The tengu flees in terror, exclaiming that humans are dangerous creatures who can do things without thinking about them.^[35]

Rice Cake Pounding mochi in an usu Making mochi with a modern piece of equipment Mochi (Japanese ) is the Japanese variant of Chinese rice cake, which, like its Chinese origin, is made of glutinous rice, pounded into paste and molded into shape; however, unlike the Chinese variety, it is molded...

Martial arts

Ushiwaka-maru training with the tengu of Mount Kurama, by Kunitsuna Utagawa. This subject is very common in ukiyo-e.

During the 14th century, the tengu began to trouble the world outside of the Buddhist clergy, and like their ominous ancestors the tiāngoǔ, the tengu became creatures associated with war.^[36] Legends eventually ascribed to them great knowledge in the art of skilled combat. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 398 pixel Image in higher resolution (1809 × 900 pixel, file size: 773 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ushiwaka-maru training with the tengu. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 398 pixel Image in higher resolution (1809 × 900 pixel, file size: 773 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ushiwaka-maru training with the tengu. ... View of Mount Fuji from Numazu, part of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō series by Hiroshige, published 1850 Ukiyo-e ), pictures of the floating world, is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ...

This reputation seems to have its origins in a legend surrounding the famous warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune. When Yoshitsune was a young boy going by the name of Ushiwaka-maru, his father, Yoshitomo, was assassinated by the Taira clan. Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira, allowed the child to survive on the grounds that he be exiled to the temple on Mount Kurama and become a monk. But one day in the Sōjō-ga-dani Valley, Ushiwaka encountered the mountain's tengu, Sōjōbō. This spirit taught the boy the art of swordsmanship so that he might bring vengeance on the Taira.^[37] Yoshitsune by Kikuchi Yosai Yoshitsune and Benkei Viewing Cherry Blossoms, by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Minamoto no Yoshitsune () (1159 – June 15, 1189) was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Yoshitomo Minamoto. ... Taira (å¹³) is a Japanese surname. ... Statue of Taira no Kiyomori, Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture Taira no Kiyomori (å¹³ 清盛 1118 - 1181) was a general of the late Heian period of Japan. ... Shrine at Kurama-dera Mount Kurama (Japanese: 鞍馬山, Kurama-yama) is a mountain to the northwest of Kyoto city. ... Sōjōbō is the mythical king of the tengu, minor deities who inhabit the mountains of forests of Japan. ...

Originally the actions of this tengu were portrayed as another attempt by demons to throw the world into chaos and war, but as Yoshitsune's renown as a legendary warrior increased, his monstrous teacher came to be depicted in a much more sympathetic and honorable light. In one of the most famous renditions of the story, the Noh play Kurama Tengu, Ushiwaka is the only person from his temple who does not give up an outing in disgust at the sight of a strange yamabushi. Sōjōbō thus befriends the boy and teaches him out of sympathy for his plight.^[38] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Two stories from the 19th century continue this theme: In the Sōzan Chomon Kishū, a boy is carried off by a tengu and spends three years with the creature. He comes home with a magic gun that never misses a shot. A story from Inaba Province, related by Inoue Enryō, tells of a girl with poor manual dexterity who is suddenly possessed by a tengu. The spirit wishes to rekindle the declining art of swordsmanship in the world. Soon a young samurai appears to whom the tengu has appeared in a dream, and the possessed girl instructs him as an expert swordsman.^[39] Some rumors surrounding the ninja indicate that they were also instructed by the tengu.^[40] Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Japan geography stubs | Japan | Old provinces of Japan ... Inoue Enryō ), founder of Toyo University, was a Japanese educator, philosopher and Buddhist. ... Jiraiya, ninja and title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. ...

Modern fiction

Main article: Tengu in popular culture

Profoundly entrenched in the Japanese imagination for centuries, tengu continue to be popular subjects in modern fiction, both in Japan and increasingly in other countries. They often appear among the many characters and creatures featured in Japanese cinema, animation, comics, and video games. The following is a list of appearances made by tengu (a kind of supernatural being) in various works of popular fiction. ... Japanese cinema (映画; Eiga) has a history in Japan that spans more than 100 years. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Manga )   (pl. ... This article is about computer and video games. ...

Notes

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Elephant catching a flying tengu

1. ^ de Visser, pp. 61. The kite referred to here is tobi or tonbi (鳶), the Japanese black-eared kite (Milvus migrans lineatus).
2. ^ Encyclopedia of Shinto:Sarutahiko
3. ^ Moriarty p. 109. See also: Japanese language blog post on tengu and Sarutahiko.
4. ^ Fister p. 105. See images from this scroll here and here.
5. ^ de Visser, pp. 55-57.
6. ^ Fister, p. 103. For images of the yamabushi's costume look here.
7. ^ Mizuki 2001, p. 122.
8. ^ de Visser, pp. 27-30.
9. ^ de Visser, pp. 34-35.
10. ^ de Visser, pp. 87-90.
11. ^ de Visser, pp. 43-44; Mizuki, Mujara 4, p.7.
12. ^ de Visser, pp. 38-43.
13. ^ de Visser, pp. 45-47. This tengu-ghost eventually appeared and admitted to riding on the emperor's back with his wings clasped over the man's eyes.
14. ^ de Visser, pp. 48-49.
15. ^ de Visser, pp. 55-57.
16. ^ Mizuki 2001.
17. ^ de Visser, pp. 51-53.
18. ^ de Visser, pp. 71.
19. ^ Mizuki 2001.
20. ^ de Visser, p. 82; most kanji and some name corrections retrieved from here.
21. ^ Mizuki 2001
22. ^ de Visser, p. 84; Mizuki 2003, p. 70. The term konoha-tengu is often mentioned in English texts as a synonym for daitengu, but this appears to be a widely-repeated mistake which is not corroborated by Japanese-language sources.
23. ^ Mizuki 2001
24. ^ Mizuki, Mujara 4, p. 94
25. ^ Mizuki, Mujara 1, p. 38; Kaii*Yōkai Denshō Database: Kawatengu
26. ^ de Visser, pp. 58-60.
27. ^ de Visser, pp. 72-76.
28. ^ de Visser, pp. 76-79. The okoze fish is known to science as Anema inerme, the mottled stargazer.
29. ^ Folklore texts cited in the Kaii*Yōkai Denshō Database:
    • Ueda Eikichi, 1937: [1], [2]
    • Ogura Manabu, 1972: [3], [4]
    • Chūō Daigaku Minzoku Kenkyūkai (Chuo University Folklore Research Society), 1986: [5]
30. ^ de Visser (Fox and Badger) p. 107–109. See also: Encyclopedia of Shinto: Izuna Gongen and Encyclopedia of Shinto: Akiha Shinkō, and Saijoji, a.k.a. Doryo-son.
31. ^ Seki p. 170. Online version here.
32. ^ Seki p. 128-129. Online version here. Oni often take the place of the tengu in this story.
33. ^ Seki p. 171. A version of this story has been popularized in English as "The Badger and the Magic Fan".(ISBN 0-3992-1945-5)
34. ^ Seki p. 172. Online version here.
35. ^ Seki p. 54. This story often involves other mountain spirits, such as the yama-uba. A version specifically involving a tengu is recorded in Japanese here.
36. ^ de Visser, pp. 67.
37. ^ de Visser, pp. 47-48.
38. ^ Outlined in Japanese here. For another example see the picture scroll Tengu no Dairi here, in which the tengu of Mount Kurama is working with a Buddha (who was once Yoshitsune's father) to overthrow the Taira clan. This indicates that the tengu is now involved in a righteous cause rather than an act of wickedness.
39. ^ de Visser, p. 79.
40. ^ Mizuki 2001

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (872x2525, 530 KB) Source: http://visipix. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (872x2525, 530 KB) Source: http://visipix. ... Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese: 歌川国芳) (1798 - 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese woodblock print. ... Binomial name Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) The Black Kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. ... Genera Astroscopus Genyagnus Gnathagnus Ichthyscopus Kathetostoma Pleuroscopus Selenoscopus Uranoscopus Xenocephalus The stargazers are a family (Uranoscopidae) of perciform fish that has eyes on top of their heads, thus the name. ... A statue of a red oni wielding a tetsubo. ... Yama-uba (mountain crone) is a monster found in Japanese folklore. ...

References

Primary Sources

• de Visser, M. W. (1908). "The Tengu". Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan 34 (2): pp. 25-99. 
• Fister, Pat (1985). "Tengu, the Mountain Goblin", in Stephen Addiss: Japanese Ghosts and Demons. New York: George Braziller, Inc, pp. 103-112. ISBN 0-8076-1126-3. 
• Mizuki, Shigeru (2001). Mizuki Shigeru No Nihon Yōkai Meguri. Japan: JTB, pp. 122-123. ISBN 4-5330-3956-1. 
• Seki, Keigo (1966). "Types of Japanese Folktales". Asian Folklore Studies 25: pp. 1-220. 

Shigeru Mizuki (水木しげる b. ... Seki Keigo (関敬吾 1899 - 1990) was a Japanese folklorist. ...

Supplementary Sources

• de Visser, M. W. (1908). "The Fox and the Badger in Japanese Folklore". Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan 36 (3): pp. 107-116. 
• Mizuki, Shigeru (2003). Mujara 1: Kantō, Hokkaidō, Okinawa-hen. Japan: Soft Garage. ISBN 4-8613-3004-1. 
• Mizuki, Shigeru (2003). Mujara 2: Chūbu-hen. Japan: Soft Garage. ISBN 4-8613-3005-X. 
• Mizuki, Shigeru (2004). Mujara 4: Chūgoku/Shikoku-hen. Japan: Soft Garage. ISBN 4-8613-3016-5. 
• Moriarty, Elizabeth (1972). "The Communitarian Aspect of Shinto Matsuri". Asian Folklore Studies 31 (2): pp. 91-140. 

Shigeru Mizuki (水木しげる b. ... Shigeru Mizuki (水木しげる b. ... Shigeru Mizuki (水木しげる b. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tengu

• The Tengu by M. W. de Visser, courtesy of Google Books.
• Tengu: the Slayer of Vanity
• Tengu: The Legendary Mountain Goblins of Japan
• Metropolis - Big in Japan: Tengu

	Japanese Mythology & Folklore Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Amaterasu_cave_crop. ... Japanese mythology is a very complex system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculture-based folk religion. ... Japanese folklore is the folklore of Japan. ...
	Mythic Texts and Folktales: Kojiki | Nihon Shoki | Otogizōshi | Yotsuya Kaidan Urashima Tarō | Kintarō | Momotarō | Tamamo-no-Mae Divinities: Izanami | Izanagi | Amaterasu Susanoo | Ama-no-Uzume | Inari List of divinities | Kami | Seven Lucky Gods Legendary Creatures: Oni | Kappa | Tengu | Tanuki | Fox | Yōkai | Dragon Mythical and Sacred Locations: Mt. Hiei | Mt. Fuji | Izumo | Ryūgū-jō | Takamagahara | Yomi Kojiki or Furukotofumi (古事記), also known in English as the Records of Ancient Matters, is the oldest surviving historical book recounting events of ancient earth in the Japanese language. ... Nihonshoki (日本書紀) is the second oldest history book about the ancient history of Japan. ... Illustration from otogizōshi tale, published c. ... Yotsuya Kaidan (四つ谷怪談) is a Japanese ghost story. ... Urashima Tarō ) is a Japanese fairy tale about a fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a visit to the RyÅ«gÅ«-jō, the Dragon Palace. ... This article is about the Japanese folklore hero; for the Mortal Kombat character, see Kintaro (Mortal Kombat character). ... Bisque doll of Momotarō Momotarō (桃太郎) is a hero from Japanese folklore. ... Tamamo-no-Mae (玉藻前) is a legendary figure in Japanese mythology. ... In Japanese mythology, Izanami (Katakana: イザナミ; Kanji: 伊弉冉尊 or 伊邪那美命, meaning She who invites) is a goddess of both creation and death, as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi. ... 天瓊を以て滄海を探るの図. Painting by Eitaku Kobayashi (Meiji period). ... The Sun goddess emerging out of a cave, bringing sunlight back to the universe. ... Susanoo, (Japanese: 須佐之男命, Susanoo-no-mikoto; also romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-o, and Susanowo) in Shinto is the god of the sea and storms. ... Categories: Stub | Japanese goddesses ... Inari and her fox spirits help the blacksmith Munechika forge the blade ko-kitsune-maru (Little Fox) in the late 10th century. ... This is a list of divinities native to Japanese beliefs and religious traditions. ... “Megami” redirects here. ... The seven fortune gods (七福神, shichi fukujin) in Japan refer to the seven gods of good fortune in Japanese folklore: ; . They are often the subject of netsuke carvings and other representations. ... A statue of a red oni wielding a tetsubo. ... This article does not adequately cite its references. ... Pottery statue of tanuki This article deals with tanuki in folklore; see Raccoon Dog for more information on the wild animal. ... Prince Hanzoku terrorized by a nine-tailed fox. ... ukiyo-e print of yōkai, by Aotoshi Matsui Yōkai apparitions, spirits, or demons, also romanized youkai, yokai, or yookai) are a class of obake, creatures in Japanese folklore (many with Chinese origins) ranging from the evil oni to the mischievous kitsune or snow woman Yuki-onna. ... Japanese Dragon water fountain in Fujiyoshida. ... Mount Hiei (Jp. ... Mount Fuji Mount Fuji , IPA: )   is the highest mountain in Japan. ... Izumo (Japanese: 出雲国; Izumo no kuni) was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane prefecture in the Chugoku region. ... In Japanese mythology, RyÅ«gÅ«-jō (竜宮城) is the undersea palace of RyÅ«jin, the dragon god of the sea. ... Takama-ga-hara (Japanese: 高天原), or The High Plain of Heaven, is a place in Japanese mythology. ... This article is about the location in japanese mythology. ...
	Religions | Sacred Objects | Creatures and Spirits