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What is a tengu in Japanese mythology?
Tengu (天狗, “heavenly dog”) are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and are also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or yōkai (supernatural beings). Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey,…
What are Tengus used for in Japan?
They may also carry a shakujo staff, like powerful Buddhist priests do, and a ha-uchiwa fan, which they use to control the wind. Japanese legend contains both good and bad Tengus.
What is a tengu in art?
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. They most often with a red face or an unusually large or long nose.
What is the difference between Tengu and tiangou?
At some point in history, the bird-like Tengu split away from the dog-like Tiangou, and the spirits took on separate identities. The Tiangou developed its own tradition, being described as a black dog or meteor responsible for eclipses. Tengu legend might have been influenced by the huli jing (“heavenly fox”).
What are the Tengu spirits?
However, they evolved in parallel with Japanese culture and by the end of the 19 th century, the Tengu are often viewed as protective demi-gods or minor kami (Shinto gods). The Japanese Tengu spirits are a perfect example of how Japanese mythology often combines bits and pieces from multiple religions to create something uniquely Japanese.
What is a tengu demon?
Some of the earliest representations of tengu appear in Japanese picture scrolls; such as the Tenguzōshi Emaki (天狗草子絵巻), painted c. 1296, which parodies high-ranking priests by endowing them the hawk-like beaks of tengu demons. Tengu are often pictured as taking the shape of some sort of priest.
Can a tengu turn into a human?
Over the centuries, the Tengu becomes more human in appearance and takes on a protective role in the affairs of men. The Tengu can transform itself into a man, woman, or child, but its prefered disquise is to appear as a barefooted, wandering, elderly mountain hermit or monk (yamabushi) with an extremely long nose.