What is the Tengu?
According to Encyclopedia Britannica… Tengu: in Japanese folklore, a type of mischievous supernatural being, sometimes considered the reincarnated spirit of one who was proud and arrogant in life. Tengu are renowned swordsmen and are said to have taught the military arts to the Minamoto hero Yoshitsune. They live in trees in mountainous areas. A group of tengu is headed by a chief, who is depicted with a prominent nose, angry and threatening expression, dressed in red robes and carrying a feather fan. He is served by a group of retainers called koppa tengu (“leaflet” tengu) who act as his messengers. In popular art they are shown as smaller winged creatures with long red noses or beaklike mouths. The Tengu of Japanese Mythology Tengu are born from giant eggs and live in the mountains. Bird tengu congregate in high trees. In their last incarnation as humans, tengu were arrogant samurai or priests-that is why they have beaks or long noses. The expression tengu ni naru is thus an admoni
