Khodjimukhamedov:

Tengu 天狗

Introduction

Tengu 天狗 is one of the legendary creatures mentioned in Japanese folklore. There are several explanations of this mountain creature as mountain goblin and in many other texts, Tengu was introduced as yokai (supernatural being) or kami (Shinto god). The shape of the Tengu was originally described as birds of prey, specifically crow. However, the name of the Tengu takes its base from Chinese dog-like demon Taingou and literally it means Celestial Dog. It also refers to the thunderstorm after the lightning and image of a dark meteor falling from the skies. In many folklore tales, the wings of the Tengu appear in dark color and in some cases black wings. According to present scholars, their supernatural powers include shape-shifting into human or animal forms, the ability to speak to humans without moving their mouth, the magic of teleportation from place to place without using their wings, and the sorcery to appear uninvited in the dreams of the living (Wakabayashi ). Moreover, Tengu are associated with the ascetic practice of Shugendo, and they are also represented by its religious followers (yamabushi).

Dōryō Daigongen (Schumacher )

Origin of Tengu

The origin of Tengu is associated with Chinese folklore creature called Taingou (t’einkou). The Chinese folklore has tales about a mountain demons similar to Tengu and they share same written characters. However Chinese t’einkou derived their name from comets or dark meteors falling from the sky to the earth and the trails of which resemble the tails of dogs or foxes. Tengu mythology was first mentioned in Japan’s ancient documents like Nihongi (Nihon Shoki), which was finished in 720 AD. “In the spring of the ninth year (of the Emperor Jomei, 637 AD) on the 23^rd of the second month, a large star shot from the East to West. At the same time, there was a noise of thunder. The people said ‘It is the noise of shooting star’; others said: ‘it is earth thunder.’ Thereupon the Buddhist priest Bin spoke, saying: ‘It is no shooting star, it is called a Celestial Dog. It is barking like thunder.’ ” The Nihongi is a perspicuous example of Tengu transformation. The priest Bin was a Chinese who taught them in this way what he had heard and read in his own country. Furthermore, kana characters of Tengu can be read as “Ama tsu kitsune”, a Celestial Fox. In ancient Chinese books, it is believed that when a fox reaches an age of millennium, the fox becomes a Celestial Fox and does not haunt the people any longer and it ascends to heaven. Buddhism brought its majority of legends about Tengu on its way to Japan from India and China. This stories describes them as mountain demons, who deluded people and decoyed them into the depth of the wood.

Notes on origin of Tengu

F. Hadland Davis in his 1913 book Myths and Legends of Japan says: “There are other confusing traditions in regard to the word Tengu, for it is said that the Emperor Jomei gave the name to a certain meteor ’which whirled from east to west with a loud detonation.’ Then, again, a still more ancient belief informs us that the Tengu were emanations from Susaono-o, the Impetuous Male, and again, that they were female demons with heads of beasts and great ears and noses of such enormous length that they could carry men on them and fly with their suspended burden for thousands of miles without fatigue, and in addition their teeth were so strong and so sharp that these female demons could bite through swords and spears.”(Schumacher)

Tengu Evolution

An evolution of Tengu has changed their appearance as well as their purpose over the centuries. Originally portrayed as an evil crow-like creature with a human body, angry face on the small head. A body covered with feather and wings with heavy claws. However, this creature evolved into a long-nose protective bird-like goblin with human attributes. Their further transformation was a man-goblin with an uncommonly long nose, wearing a small monk hat, and usually with the angry demonic red face. They are patrons of material arts and they hold unique skills in swords fighting and weaponsmithing. Sometimes they serve as a mentor in the art of war and strategy to humans they find worthy. They live in colonies in the forests in the mountains and unsurprisingly they are hatched from eggs like birds but from human size eggs.

Karasu Tengu (“Crow” Tengu) 烏天狗 is an ancient form of Tengu who can harness the powers of nature. They are believed to be evil creatures who kidnap adults and children, start fires and kill people who willfully damaged the forest. Yamabushi Tengu (Mountain Monk) 山仏師天狗 is the bigger type of Tengu with a human-like face, long nose, and red face. They usually look like hermits and possess a skill of transformation into a man, woman, or child, but its usual appearance is barefooted, wandering, elderly mountain monk or priest with an extremely long nose. They wear a small hat that sometimes serves as a drinking cup for sake, wear wooden sandals (geta) and hold a magic fan made of bird feathers (when used, can make catastrophic winds) (Schumacher).

Tengu is always illustrated as having a mischievous sense of humor, and they like to trick on those they encounter in the mountain, especially on pretentious and arrogant Buddhist priests and samurai. Indeed, the Tengu was a major folklore character for criticizing both established and nascent Buddhist sects (Schumacher). The long nose is connected to Tengu’s hatred of arrogance and prejudice. Monks, who do not have real knowledge and individuals with big pride, and priests who mislead or misuse the Buddhist cannons are turned into the Yamabushi tengu, long-nosed Tengu when they die. In the middle ages, corrupt Buddhist monks and priests were a major social problem in Japan. Consequently, Tengu was introduced as protectors of Buddhist Laws and punished individuals who mislead the people. Therefore, the folklore image of Tengu and Yamabushi changed and they started to wear the robes and caps of priests (Schumacher).

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

Akiba Sanjakubō Daigongen near the portal of the Hase-Temple (Hasedera), Nara Prefecture

Sōjōbō providing instruction (scroll painted by a yamabushi, early 19th century )

Masters of Martial Arts

After the 10^th century, the Tengu started to be a creature associated with arts of war and combat. Legends eventually ascribed to them carrying the great knowledge in the art of skilled combat. Most famous, there was a belief that one of the greatest warriors of Japan, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, was trained by Tengu. Yoshitsune was the younger brother of Minamoto no Yoritsune, the leader of the victorious Genji forces during the Genpei War (1180-1185), the great civil conflict that led to the founding of the Kamakura government. According to legend, Genji general Yoshitsune learned his famous military skills from Tengu during his childhood at Kurama Temple in Kyoto (Foster, 133). According to the Kamakura period Heiji Monogatari (The tale of Heiji), “it is told that Yoshitsune night after night was taught the manual of arms by a Tengu … in Kurama-yama. That was the reason why he could run and jump beyond the limits of human power.” (Foster, 133) The connection between a Tengu and Yoshitsune was also elaborated in Noh play, Kurama Tengu. When Yoshitsune was training in the woods he was noticed by some Tengu. Tengu noticed that he was training there to avenge his father’s death, then one Tengu said: “We are known by the name of Tengu—there is a reason for this. We were humans long ago, but studying well in the dharma we felt there was nobody more knowledgeable, and because we swelled with pride, we could not become Buddhas and fell into the Way of Tengu [Tengu-do]. But even though this pride caused us to fall into this path, there is no reason we should not know pity. So let us help Ushikawa, teach him the method of the Tengu so he can attack his father’s enemy.” (Foster, 134). Then Ushikawa (Childhood name of Yoshitsune) joined them and was trained by Sojobo, an ancient yamabushi tengu with long, white hair and unnaturally long nose. He carries a fan made from seven feathers as a sign of his high position in the Tengu society, King of Tengu.

Spiriting Away

According to Foster, during the Edo period, Tengu became increasingly associated with mountain worship and deeply embedded in local folk belief. They were often assumed to be a cause of mysterious happenings. One of the devil phenomena is kamikakushi: kidnapping by a god, “spirited away” or literally, hiding by a deity. The main similarity of these incidents was being kidnapped by Tengu. The story happens in the same sequence of events. First, a child or an adult disappears, then his family and the villagers search everywhere without any result. After some period of time, he appears in a strange place, shocked and exhausted but otherwise unharmed. Usually, a kidnapped individual is able to explain the incident where he met an old stranger who took him off to distant places. For instance, in a story about a boy from Takayama in Gifu Prefecture, the boy receives a new pair of geta (wooden sandals) from his mentor. A mentor warns him that if he wears sandals after dusk, “a Tengu will take him away.” But the boy excited from the gift wears the geta in the evening and goes outside, and he disappears. After realizing that the boy has disappeared, the mentor with villager looks high and low for the boy without any result. Finally, about a week later, the boy was found standing on a bridge, looking very exhausted. The story with the note “They say that it was a tengu.” (Foster, 137)

In the Story of a Tengu in “Ghostly Japan” book, Lafcadio Hearn describes the Tengu character as a master of shapeshifting and gatekeeper of Liminal space. The story begins with a monk who saves a life of a bird in exchange for a fan he was carrying and sets the bird free. The bird happens to be a Tengu and in exchange for his life, he offers the priest to gratify his any wish. The Priest tells his wish: “Ah, my friend! If it were possible to conquer Time and Space, like the Bodhisattva, so that I could look upon that marvelous assembly how happy should I be!” Then, Tengu takes the priest to a place among pines, on the slope of a hill and leaves him alone with the instruction: “You must not speak at all.”(Hearn, 218) After a short amount of time, the priest sees the event in every detail, but he could not keep his promise given to Tengu and starts to worship with a crying voice. As a result, everything vanishes and the priest founds himself in “the dark, kneeling upon of the mountain-side.” (Hearn, 221). This story clearly interprets connection between liminal space/time and Buddhism.

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.

Conclusion

Tengu played a major role in the establishment of Japanese folklore, social life, religion, and military. Japan has transformed this creature in crucial periods of its development from goblins to the birds, and human shape. During the transformation, Tengu obtained important qualities of yokai, kami, and oni. Furthermore, their connection with Buddhist priests and monk made them unique guards of Dharma. Moreover, their evil spirit and martial art skills were inherited by Japanese samurai in order to frighten an enemy and to be victorious in every battle. In short,I think Tengu is one of the unique and utmost yokai in today's Japan.

Bibliography

Google Sites

Report abuse