Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids

Mythic Creatures | Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids

At A Glance: Tengu
As late as 1860, the Japanese government posted official notices to tengu, asking the goblins to temporarily vacate a certain mountain during scheduled visits by the Shogun.

Tengu have supernatural abilities, including:

	Shape-shifting into human or animal forms
	Speaking without moving their mouths
	Moving instantly from place to place
	Appearing uninvited in people's dreams

The earliest tengu had bird beaks, wings and claws. Later tengu appear more humanlike but with long noses.

In many stories, tengu wings are described as "shimmering."

Tengulike creatures are frequent characters in Japanese anime, a kind of cartoon.

Mountain Priests
Tengu are shape-shifters and can take many forms. But in legends, tengu are often described as having a human's body with wings and a long nose. And since the 1200s, humanlike tengu are often shown wearing the distinctive cap and robe of a group of mountain-dwelling priests called yamabushi.

Sword Guard
Not all tengu are created equal. Wise and powerful tengu are often shown in humanlike forms, while less powerful tengu appear more like birds.

Netsuke
Netsuke, a small toggle or fastener used to attach containers to clothing, is carved in the shape of a tengu. Such birdlike tengu are often said to be born from giant eggs and to live in high trees in the mountains.

Woodblock Print
The famous Japanese warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune (1159-1189) was known for his fantastic sword play, and, according to legend, he may have owed his skills to a tengu. The story tells of how the tengu king Sojobo trained Yoshitsune in leaping sword fighting near Mount Kurama, north of Kyoto.

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