Tengu
Absolutely the most famous of all yokai, Tengu are EVERYWHERE! I mean, there was a Japanese restaurant next to my old college, and the first thing you saw in the doorway was a gigantic Tengu mask, six feet in diameter! If you've ever played a video game, watched an anime, or attended Cyrano de Bergerac, you've seen one of their long-nosed faces glaring right at you! Now, there are two Tengu Monster in my Pocket figures, but those should be saved for another day. But anyway, let's talk Tengu.
Straddling the line between yokai and gods, Tengu are bird-demons whose name oddly translated into "heavenly dogs." You know, dog, bird, same deal. But anyway. Tengu are semi-divine bird demons with shapeshifting powers. They often appear as a bird, or a man, or a bird-man hybrid, or a strange winged human with an enormously long nose. That last one is the one most people will be familiar with. Why is it so common? Probably because gigantic noses are goofy. But anyway, back to the bird demons. Tengu can be good or evil, benevolent or cruel - some are tricksters, some are wise sages, some are downright evil. You really can't tell... although the evil versions are more traditional, sort of. A lot of the Tengu confusion comes from differing Shinto, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions, wherein bird spirits could be good or evil depending on who was talking. But keep in mind, even the friendliest of Tengu can be dangerous if you insult them in some way - Tengu are very, very vain creatures, so be careful!
Tengu
Absolutely the most famous of all yokai, Tengu are EVERYWHERE! I mean, there was a Japanese restaurant next to my old college, and the first thing you saw in the doorway was a gigantic Tengu mask, six feet in diameter! If you've ever played a video game, watched an anime, or attended Cyrano de Bergerac, you've seen one of their long-nosed faces glaring right at you! Now, there are two Tengu Monster in my Pocket figures, but those should be saved for another day. But anyway, let's talk Tengu.
Straddling the line between yokai and gods, Tengu are bird-demons whose name oddly translated into "heavenly dogs." You know, dog, bird, same deal. But anyway. Tengu are semi-divine bird demons with shapeshifting powers. They often appear as a bird, or a man, or a bird-man hybrid, or a strange winged human with an enormously long nose. That last one is the one most people will be familiar with. Why is it so common? Probably because gigantic noses are goofy. But anyway, back to the bird demons. Tengu can be good or evil, benevolent or cruel - some are tricksters, some are wise sages, some are downright evil. You really can't tell... although the evil versions are more traditional, sort of. A lot of the Tengu confusion comes from differing Shinto, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions, wherein bird spirits could be good or evil depending on who was talking. But keep in mind, even the friendliest of Tengu can be dangerous if you insult them in some way - Tengu are very, very vain creatures, so be careful!