The tengu in art appears in a variety of shapes. It usually falls somewhere in between a large, monstrous bird and a wholly anthropomorphized being, often with a red face or an unusually large or long nose. Early depictions of tengu show them as kite-like beings who can take a human-like form, often retaining avian wings, heads, or beaks. The tengu’s long nose seems to have been conceived in the 14th century, likely as a humanization of the original bird’s bill. This feature allies them with the Sarutahiko Ōkami, who is described in the 720 CE text the Nihon Shoki with a similar nose measuring seven hand-spans in length. In village festivals, the two figures are often portrayed with identical red phallic-nosed mask designs. 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 with the hawk-like beaks of tengu demons. Tengu are often pictured as taking the shape of some sort of priest. Beginning in the 13th century, tengu came to be associated in particular with yamabushi, the mountain ascetics who practice Shugendō. The association soon found its way into Japanese art, where tengu are most frequently depicted in the yamabushi’s unique costume, which includes a distinctive headwear called the tokin and a pompom sash (結袈裟, yuigesa). Due to their priestly aesthetic, they are often shown wielding the khakkhara, a distinct staff used by Buddhist monks, called a shakujō in Japanese. Tengu are commonly depicted holding a magical feather fan (羽団扇, hauchiwa). According to legend, tengu taught Minamoto no Yoshitsune to fight with the “war-fan” and “the sword”. In folk tales, these fans sometimes can grow or shrink a person’s nose, but usually, they have attributed the power to stir up great winds. Various other strange accessories may be associated with tengu, such as a type of tall, one-toothed geta sandal often called tengu-geta.
Appearance List Literature: Konjaku Monogatarishū, Hōgen Monogatari, Genpei Jōsuiki, Tengu Meigikō, Lafcadio Hearn’s In Ghostly Japan (1899).
Sample Read In Ghostly Japan (1899) by Hearn Lafcadio [Internet Archive]
Description The tengu in art appears in a variety of shapes. It usually falls somewhere in between a large, monstrous bird and a wholly anthropomorphized being, often with a red face or an unusually large or long nose. Early depictions of tengu show them as kite-like beings who can take a human-like form, often retaining avian wings, heads, or beaks. The tengu’s long nose seems to have been conceived in the 14th century, likely as a humanization of the original bird’s bill. This feature allies them with the Sarutahiko Ōkami, who is described in the 720 CE text the Nihon Shoki with a similar nose measuring seven hand-spans in length. In village festivals, the two figures are often portrayed with identical red phallic-nosed mask designs. 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 with the hawk-like beaks of tengu demons. Tengu are often pictured as taking the shape of some sort of priest. Beginning in the 13th century, tengu came to be associated in particular with yamabushi, the mountain ascetics who practice Shugendō. The association soon found its way into Japanese art, where tengu are most frequently depicted in the yamabushi’s unique costume, which includes a distinctive headwear called the tokin and a pompom sash (結袈裟, yuigesa). Due to their priestly aesthetic, they are often shown wielding the khakkhara, a distinct staff used by Buddhist monks, called a shakujō in Japanese. Tengu are commonly depicted holding a magical feather fan (羽団扇, hauchiwa). According to legend, tengu taught Minamoto no Yoshitsune to fight with the “war-fan” and “the sword”. In folk tales, these fans sometimes can grow or shrink a person’s nose, but usually, they have attributed the power to stir up great winds. Various other strange accessories may be associated with tengu, such as a type of tall, one-toothed geta sandal often called tengu-geta.
