Tengu (Japanese: 天狗 meaning "skyey shepherd" or “celestial sentinel”) are winged Japanese mountain and forest yōkai, which also sometimes take on a divine role as messengers or occaisionally deities themselves. The king of Tengu is known as Sōjōbō.
Myths & Legends[]
Abilities[]
Their supernatural powers include shape-shifting into human or animal forms, speaking to humans without moving their mouth, moving instantly from place to place without using their wings (teleportation), and the sorcery of appearing uninvited in the dreams of the living. They are also known for their skill in martial arts.
Tengu are considered the cause of various natural phenomena, including:
- Tengubi, which is an ethereal fire.
- Tengu tsubute, small avalanches of pebbles or stones in mountains, and sometimes cities.
- Tengu daoshi, which is the sound of falling trees accompanied by a large gust of wind.
Appearance[]
In general Tengu are described as humanoid Yokai with feathery wings on their back and wearing monk's robes. In Japan there are two main variants of what their head looks like: a red-faced man with a long nose (including the Daitengu), or with the head of a bird (such as the Karasu Tengu or the Kotengu).
Behaviour[]
The patron of martial arts, the bird-like Tengu is a skilled warrior and mischief maker, especially prone to playing tricks on arrogant and vainglorious Buddhist priests, and to punishing those who willfully misuse knowledge and authority to gain fame or position. In bygone days, they also inflicted their punishments on vain and arrogant samurai warriors. They dislike braggarts, and those who corrupt the Dharma (Buddhist Law).
The tengu were originally extremely dangerous demons and enemies of Buddhism. Over the centuries, their behavior changed from spirits of the damned to active defenders of Dharma.
Modern Depictions[]
Anime and manga[]
Video games[]
