The History Of Tengu : The Mystery Of Sojobo
Tengu (天狗 ?, "heavenly dogs") are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai (monster-spirits) and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami (revered spirits or gods). Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is practically the tengu's defining characteristic in the popular imagination.
In the Genpei Jōsuiki, written in the late Kamakura period, a god appears to Go-Shirakawa and gives a detailed account of tengu ghosts. He says that they fall onto the tengu road because, as Buddhists, they cannot go to Hell, yet as people with bad principles, they also cannot go to Heaven. He describes the appearance of different types of tengu: the ghosts of priests, nuns, ordinary men, and ordinary women, all of whom in life possessed excessive pride. The god introduces the notion that not all tengu are equal; knowledgeable men become daitengu (大天狗, big tengu ?), but ignorant ones become kotengu (小天狗, small tengu ?).[16]
The philosopher Hayashi Razan lists the greatest of these daitengu as Sōjōbō of Kurama, Tarōbō of Atago, and Jirōbō of Hira.[17] The demons of Kurama and Atago are among the most famous tengu.[15]
A section of the Tengu Meigikō, later quoted by Inoue Enryō, lists the daitengu in this order:
Sōjōbō (僧正坊 ?) of Mount Kurama
Tarōbō (太郎坊 ?) of Mount Atago
Jirōbō (二郎坊 ?) of the Hira Mountains
Sanjakubō (三尺坊 ?) of Mount Akiba
Ryūhōbō (笠鋒坊 ?) of Mount Kōmyō
Buzenbō (豊前坊 ?) of Mount Hiko
Hōkibō (伯耆坊 ?) of Daisen (mountain)
Myōgibō (妙義坊 ?) of Mount Ueno (Ueno Park)
Sankibō (三鬼坊 ?) of Itsukushima
Zenkibō (前鬼坊 ?) of Mount Ōmine
Kōtenbō (高天坊 ?) of Katsuragi
Tsukuba-hōin (筑波法印 ?) of Hitachi Province
Daranibō (陀羅尼坊 ?) of Mount Fuji
Naigubu (内供奉 ?) of Mount Takao
Sagamibō (相模坊 ?) of Shiramine
Saburō (三郎 ?) of Mount Iizuna
Ajari (阿闍梨 ?) of Higo Province[18]
Daitengu are often pictured in a more human-like form than their underlings, and due to their long noses, they may also called hanatakatengu (鼻高天狗, tall-nosed tengu ?). Kotengu may conversely be depicted as more bird-like. They are sometimes called karasu-tengu (烏天狗, crow tengu ?), or koppa- orkonoha-tengu (木葉天狗, 木の葉天狗foliage tengu ?).[19] Inoue Enryō described two kinds of tengu in his Tenguron: the great daitengu, and the small, bird-like konoha-tengu who live in Cryptomeria trees. The konoha-tengu are noted in a book from 1746 called the Shokoku Rijin Dan (諸国里人談 ?), as bird-like creatures with wings two meters across which were seen catching fish in the Ōi River, but this name rarely appears in literature otherwise.[20]
Creatures that do not fit the classic bird or yamabushi image are sometimes called tengu. For example, tengu in the guise of wood-spirits may be called guhin (occasionally written kuhin) (狗賓 dog guests?), but this word can also refer to tengu with canine mouths or other features.[21] The people of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku believe in a creature called shibaten or shibatengu (シバテン, 芝天狗, lawn tengu ?), but this is a small child-like being who loves sumō wrestling and sometimes dwells in the water, and is generally considered one of the many kinds of kappa.[22] Another water-dwelling tengu is the kawatengu (川天狗, river tengu ?) of the Greater Tokyo Area. This creature is rarely seen, but it is believed to create strange fireballs and be a nuisance to fishermen. [23]
During the 14th century, the tengu began to trouble the world outside of the Buddhist clergy, and like their ominous ancestors the tiāngoǔ, the tengu became creatures associated with war.[34] Legends eventually ascribed to them great knowledge in the art of skilled combat.
This reputation seems to have its origins in a legend surrounding the famous warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune. When Yoshitsune was a young boy going by the name of Ushiwaka-maru, his father, Yoshitomo, was assassinated by the Taira clan. Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira, allowed the child to survive on the grounds that he be exiled to the temple on Mount Kurama and become a monk. But one day in the Sōjō-ga-dani Valley, Ushiwaka encountered the mountain's tengu, Sōjōbō. This spirit taught the boy the art of swordsmanship so that he might bring vengeance on the Taira.[35]
Originally the actions of this tengu were portrayed as another attempt by demons to throw the world into chaos and war, but as Yoshitsune's renown as a legendary warrior increased, his monstrous teacher came to be depicted in a much more sympathetic and honorable light. In one of the most famous renditions of the story, the Noh play Kurama Tengu, Ushiwaka is the only person from his temple who does not give up an outing in disgust at the sight of a strange yamabushi. Sōjōbō thus befriends the boy and teaches him out of sympathy for his plight.[36]
Two stories from the 19th century continue this theme: In the Sōzan Chomon Kishū, a boy is carried off by a tengu and spends three years with the creature. He comes home with a magic gun that never misses a shot. A story from Inaba Province, related by Inoue Enryō, tells of a girl with poor manual dexterity who is suddenly possessed by a tengu. The spirit wishes to rekindle the declining art of swordsmanship in the world. Soon a young samurai appears to whom the tengu has appeared in a dream, and the possessed girl instructs him as an expert swordsman.[37] Some rumors surrounding the ninja indicate that they were also instructed by the tengu.[38]
(taken from wikipedia)
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