If you find yourself face to face with an angry Karasu-tengu, you are in serious, serious trouble. Its proficiency with a wide array of man-made weapons is dangerous enough. But its ability to shape-shift and take flight makes it far more deadly than any human opponent, and its raptor-like claws and beak are as capable of disemboweling you as any sword.
Surviving an Encounter:
If you happen to live in an area where a Karasu-tengu has decided to spread a plague or other form of mass calamity, with any luck you can pack your bags and get out. If one is targeting you personally, you’re going to have to take your medicine. No human power can halt a Karasu-tengu on the warpath.
As a preventive measure, you can avoid incurring the wrath of a Karasu-tengu by treating the mountainous areas in which they dwell with care and respect. And who knows—if you’re lucky, you might even earn yourself some lessons from one of these undisputed masters of martial arts. In 1806, villagers in Gifu prefecture reported that Tengu kidnapped a fifteen-year-old boy named Jugoro. He returned three years later, completely unharmed, but had become an expert marksman with the tanegashima, a flintlock rifle that represented the cutting edge of Japanese weaponry at the time.
Some Scholars Say:
The roots of the Tengu can be found in the Hindu deity Garuda, a similar avian-humanoid hybrid, tales of whom arrived in Japan along with the importation of Buddhism in roughly the same era.
An image of the Karasu-tengu by Sekien Toriyama, circa 1780s
THE TENGU LIBRARY:
The first mention of the Tengu is believed to be in the eight-century book of classical history Nihon Shoki (“The Chronicles of Japan”).
Tengu Trivia: Popular legend has it that the famed general Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159?-1189) learned swordsmanship and military tactics from a variety of Tengu in the mountains near Kyoto.
Ferocious Fiends: 002
Hanadaka-tengu
Ferocious Fiends: 002
Hanadaka-tengu
鼻高天狗
Pronunciation:
(HAH-nah-dah-kah TEN-goo)
English Name:
Longnose Tengu
Gender:
Male
Height:
6 ft. (180cm) and up
Weight:
Unknown
Locomotion:
Bipedal, flight, teleportation
Distinctive Features:
Enormous nose
Large feathered wings
Bright red skin
Barefoot or wearing single-toothed “geta” clogs
Supernatural Abilities:
Telepathy
Teleportation
Offensive Weapons:
Weapon-based martial arts, particularly swordsmanship
Ability to generate strong winds using leaf-like fans
Shape-shifting and mimicry
Abundance:
Prevalent
Habitat:
Mountainous regions
These Tengu geta were found beside a temple on Mt. Takao, just outside Tokyo.
Claim to Fame:
The more recent of the two distinct “species” of Tengu that are known to inhabit the Japanese islands (see Karasu-tengu, p. 18). The Hanadaka-tengu’s physical appearance is based on that of the yamabushi, practitioners of Shugendo, a religion dedicated to asceticism and training in isolated alpine monasteries. Tengu are enormous, muscular creatures, with spectacularly long noses, bright red skin, and massive feathered wings. The most powerful are called O-tengu (Great Tengu), and are said to be the leaders of Tengu clans. The Hanadaka-tengu are said to be superior to the Karasu-tengu in the pecking order of the Tengu hierarchy.
Famed for vanity, they are known to love showing off their vast knowledge and, like the Karasu-tengu, have been credited with teaching some of Japan’s top martial artists their skills. Boasting an elaborate culture and deep ties to Japanese mythology, religion, and the martial arts, the Tengu are often described as minor gods. Even today, traditional masks featuring their visages are common sights in Japan.
These yokai have a wide variety of startling abilities—including the power to communicate without moving their mouths, and a flight speed reportedly on par with a jet aircraft.
A tengu mask
The Attack!
Famed for an obsession with discipline and spiritual training, a Hanadaka-tengu would rarely engage in acts of wanton violence. Instead it prefers to play tricks on its prey, often in an attempt to teach a wayward soul a lesson. Quite often the victims of this mischief are spirited away to some far-flung location. In one notable incident in 1812, a stark-naked man fell from the skies over the streets of Tokyo’s Asakusa district. Disoriented but uninjured, he claimed his last memory had been of hiking on a Kyoto mountainside long known as a home to the Tengu.
Tengu Proverbs:
“Tengu ni naru”—in keeping with the Tengu’s love of teaching and displaying their skills, this idiom means “to show off” or “to act overconfidently.”
Surviving an Encounter:
The humble and pure of heart have nothing to fear from a Tengu, but woe betide those who are pompous and self-important. If you’ve angered one, chances are you’re beyond any help we can offer here. May we suggest a change in attitude and lifestyle?
Being dropped nude onto the streets of Tokyo is merely embarrassing; you could well find yourself without clothes atop a remote mountaintop. And these sorts of pranks assume you haven’t upset a Hanadaka-tengu enough to make him truly angry, in which case you might well find yourself facing the point of an extraordinarily sharp katana blade—or being sent flying by a wave of his fan, which when swung forcefully can create a blast of wind more powerful than a hurricane.
Bottom line: your best bet for survival is to appeal to the Tengu’s sense of mercy. Beg for your life.
TENGU TRIPS:
Mt. Takao is the site of a temple dedicated to the Tengu, It was (and is) home not only to practitioners of Shugendo but a large population of Japanese giant flying squirrels. Some scientists theorize that the combination may be responsible for the large number of nocturnal Tengu sightings that once occurred here.
Tengu Tips:
Know your Tengu hierarchy. The Edo-era book Tengu-Kyo (The Book of Tengu) describes forty-eight Japanese mountains as being associated with specific Tengu clans. For example, Kyoto’s Mt. Atago is the home of a clan led by Tarobo; nearby Mt. Kurama, Sojobo. Even Mt. Fuji is home to the Daranibo clan. The total clan member population is estimated by the book’s