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are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and are also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or yōkai (supernatural beings). 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 widely considered the ''tengu's'' defining characteristic in the popular imagination. Buddhism long held that the ''tengu'' were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. ''Tengu'' are associated with the ascetic practice known as Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the distinctive garb of its followers, the ''yamabushi''. ==Image== The ''tengu'' in art appears in a large number of shapes, but it usually falls somewhere 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, head or beak. The ''tengu's'' long nose seems to have been conceived in the 14th century, likely as a humanization of the original bird's bill.〔de Visser, pp. 61. The kite referred to here is ''tobi'' or ''tonbi'' (鳶), the Japanese black-eared kite (''Milvus migrans lineatus'').〕 The ''tengu's'' long noses ally them with the Shinto deity Sarutahiko, who is described in the Japanese historical text, the ''Nihon Shoki'', with a similar proboscis measuring seven hand-spans in length.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Encyclopedia of Shinto:Sarutahiko )〕 In village festivals the two figures are often portrayed with identical red, phallic-nosed mask designs.〔Moriarty p. 109. See also: (Japanese language blog post on ''tengu'' and Sarutahiko ).〕 Some of the earliest representations of ''tengu'' appear in Japanese picture scrolls, such as the , painted c. 1296, which parodies high-ranking priests by endowing them the hawk-like beaks of ''tengu'' demons.〔Fister p. 105. See images from this scroll (here ) and (here ).〕 ''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 the ''yamabushi'', the mountain ascetics who practice Shugendō.〔de Visser, pp. 55-57.〕 The association soon found its way into Japanese art, where ''tengu'' are most frequently depicted in the ''yamabushi's'' distinctive costume, which includes a and a .〔Fister, p. 103. For images of the ''yamabushi's'' costume look (here ).〕 Due to their priestly aesthetic, they are often shown wielding the Shakujo, a distinct staff used by Buddhist monks. ''Tengu'' are commonly depicted holding magical , fans made of feathers. In folk tales, these fans sometimes have the ability to grow or shrink a person's nose, but usually they are 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''.〔Mizuki 2001, p. 122.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tengu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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