are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion. They are considered a type of yōkai (supernatural beings) or Shinto kami (gods). 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 tengus defining characteristic in the popular imagination. Sarutahiko  is considered to be the original model of Tengu (a long-nosed supernatural creature). He is the Shinto deity who sheds light on heaven and earth, some experts theorize that Sarutahiko was a sun god worshiped in Ise region prior to the popularization of Amaterasu-Omikami . 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 of Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the garb of its followers, the yamabushi. __TOC__
are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion. They are considered a type of yōkai (supernatural beings) or Shinto kami (gods). 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 tengus defining characteristic in the popular imagination. Sarutahiko Ōkami is considered to be the original model of Tengu (a long-nosed supernatural creature). He is the Shinto deity who sheds light on heaven and earth, some experts theorize that Sarutahiko was a sun god worshiped in Ise region prior to the popularization of Amaterasu . 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 of Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the garb of its followers, the yamabushi. __TOC__
A
Ōkami
R
Amaterasu-Omikami
Amaterasu