TENGU 天狗

Pronunciation: TEN-goo

Translation: Mountain Goblin, (literally) Heaven or Heavenly Dog

Overview

Tengu are majestic, powerful, frightening, and utterly cool mountain-dwelling yōkai with a long and rich backstory. The characters for tengu (天狗) come from the Chinese word tiangou, which means “heavenly dog” or “celestial dog.” There are several origin stories about this yōkai, but one states that in ancient times, some kind of meteor blazed across the sky, made a loud noise like a barking dog, and soon afterward bad luck and even a war ensued.

Thanks to their association with the meteor, for hundreds of years, tengu were thought to be harmful spirits that caused illness, misfortune, and bloodshed. In the eleventh-century work The Tale of Genji, the tengu were mentioned as fearsome goblins that played tricks and abducted people. Over time, though, that reputation evolved. By the Heian era (C.E. 794–1185), they began taking on birdlike qualities, ranging from those of the tobi or tonbi (black kite) to the buzzard. After that came the red-faced tengu that is so popular today. Interestingly, despite the name “heavenly dog,” tengu never really had a doglike appearance in Japan.

There are generally believed to be two types of tengu:

1. 1.  The karasu tengu (烏天狗), or crow tengu, also called the kotengu (小天狗), meaning “small tengu” or “lesser tengu.” As the name suggests, these tengu resemble crows or other birds of prey. They’re contentious and dangerous but not as strong as the second category of tengu. Some depictions of the crow tengu look quite similar to the Indian god Garuda. There are those who believe this Hindu deity inspired the looks of this early tengu. Gradually, it morphed into the second type.
2. 2. The hanadaka tengu (鼻高天狗) (long- or high-nosed tengu), also called ōtengu (大天狗), meaning “great(er) tengu,” or daitengu (same characters). You see this kind more often these days. They have crimson faces, long noses, white hair and beards, and great big wings on their backs. Ōtengu are much larger and more commanding and wield greater magical powers than the smaller, more primitive crow variety.

You might find both species wearing yamabushi, or mountain ascetic, robes (recognizable because they have six fluffy pom-poms decorating them, four in the front and two in the back); small, black, box-like caps called tonkin that are tied to their foreheads; and on their feet, high, single-toothed geta shoes. They are often holding staffs, swords, naginata, or fans made from either feathers or a large leaf called a yatsude.

Background and Popular Stories

The tengu have both Shinto and Buddhists roots. On the Shinto side, they are considered kami (gods). The long-nosed Sarutahiko Ōkami, Shinto deity of the crossroads, looks incredibly similar and is considered the inspiration for the hanadaka tengu.