That isn't exactly the powerful demon we know today. As one writer puts it, "Everything strange and mysterious is attributed to them," which is pretty much your basic definition of yokai. Tengu possessed illiterate people, which became obvious when they suddenly gained the ability to write kanji. In the 9th and 10th centuries, they are trickster mountain demons, doing regular yokai things: luring people into the woods with the sound of music, throwing pebbles at houses, and appearing as will-o-the-wisp. Tengu EvolutionĮarly tengu stories share a lot of features with other yokai tales. The most interesting stories are about the powerful, intelligent, dangerous, proud, human-like daitengu. Even though the kotengu is the original, it’s now secondary. So we ended up with two kinds of tengu in the modern era. But as the goblin's significance changed and developed, they became more human, with the long nose becoming a humanized beak.īut even as the new human-like tengu emerged, the old bird-like image stuck around. In other words, originally the bird-like tengu was the only type there was. The kotengu is actually the old-school version of the tengu. Nowadays the kotengu are sometimes considered servants of the daitengu, but that’s not how it started out. In some folktales, they’re depicted as easy to fool, something you don’t want to try with a daitengu. The main thing you have to worry about is that they’ll eat you. While daitengu contemplate disrupting human society and interfering with religion, the kotengu are smaller scale. They also wear monk's robes, but kotengu are much more animal-like both in their appearance and their behavior. Karasu means crow, but these tengu may also take the form of birds of prey, especially the black kite ( tobi 鳶 （ とび ）).
The other type is called kotengu 小天狗 （ こてんぐ ） (lesser tengu) or karasutengu 烏天狗 （ からすてんぐ ） karasutengu.
With their proud nature and penchant for chaos and savagery, it’s no wonder several writers have made connections between daitengu and human society. They are said to cause wars and natural disasters. Humans may even seek out daitengu to learn their secrets, but as we’ll see later, they often regret it.Īlong with the red face, long nose, robes, and wings, the daitengu may be depicted holding the large fan that they use to stir up huge winds. Daitengu often abduct humans, sometimes to torment them, but other times to teach them magic. Some of their powers, like possession, are shared with other yokai, but their special skills include control of wind, swordsmanship, and flight. They live in deep mountain forests, and particular mountains are said to be the homes of particular, named daitengu. When we say "tengu" nowadays, this is the one we mean. You've probably seen pictures of the bright red, long-nosed mask that represents the face of the daitengu. The Great Tengu or daitengu 大天狗 （ だいてんぐ ） is an imposing semi-human whose most prominent feature is a long nose and large wings. And the one that came first is considered lesser than the newer yokai. Though you may be familiar with the red-faced long-nosed tengu, it may surprise you to learn there are two different types. Come along and we'll guide you through this rich and important part of Japanese folklore. Tengu are more like minor gods than other trickster yokai - and they expect you to treat them as such. Tengu are sworn enemies of the Buddhist faith, and much of their history has been spent trying to lure people off the road to enlightenment. The relationship is not a happy one, though. And like the kitsune’s connection to Shinto, it has a close relationship to another Japanese religion, Buddhism. Like the kitsune and tanuki, the tengu started out as an animal, but its evolution has taken more twists and turns. But the tengu is no comic book creation - it has a long history and deep connections to Japanese culture and religion. At first glance, it's a lot like a superhero: the ability to fly, great physical strength, magical powers, and secret martial arts skills. And of all the yokai, the tengu is the one that might seem most familiar to a modern Westerner. In Japanese folklore, many stories include spirits, supernatural creatures, and demons called yokai.
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