What is a Japanese tengu?

Tiangou, river boy and ghost can be called the three most famous monsters in Japan, among which Tiangou is undoubtedly the most powerful representative of mountain monsters.

The word "Tengu" also comes from China. There is a cloud in Shan Hai Jing and Xi Shan Jing: "There is a beast on the Yinshan Mountain, which looks like a raccoon and has a white head. The name is Tiangou, and it sounds like durian, which can ward off evil spirits. " It is mentioned in the article that at first Tengu was an auspicious animal, which could resist fierce attacks, but later it evolved into a description of comets and meteors. The ancients regarded heaven as bad luck, so Tiangou also became the title of evil star. The earliest record of the Japanese tengu can be found in The History of Japan, and the tengu is also used as a metaphor for comets and meteors. In Japan, Tengu is also called Tengu because of its appearance. Until the Heian period, the Japanese tengu was still the image described in Shan Hai Jing.