Tengu, The Ancestors of Ninja

According to folklore, Ninja were descents of the tengu, a being that was half man, half crow. It was also rumoured that ninja took orders from this being.

The following will reveal certain attributes of a tengu.

There are several types of Tengu, of which, here are two of them:

• Daitengu (major tengu)
• Karasu Tengu (minor tengu)

The daitengu are more human-like in appearance than the other tengus. They are tall and on their red faces, they have long noses. The daitengu carries a fan made out of bird feathers, which can cause huge storms when he swishes it. Though uncertain, some legends reveal that the daitengu were once Buddhist priests who had strayed away from their path.

The karasu tengu has the head and wings of a crow, and the body of a human. They are smaller in size and are said to serve the daitengu.

Origins of Tengu

What was the story of the Tengu then? How did they come about?

The idea of the Tengu came from China’s tien gou (heavenly dog). It is obvious, though, that these beings were different. The tengu evolved as a separate being of its own.

In the earlier days, tales about tengu potray tengu as malevolent spirits. Though, eventually, tengu were described as mischievious rather than evil. It was said during Japan’s Middle Ages, when corruption was rampant, the tengu took to fighting corruption.

Ninjas and Tengu

The tengu were experts in martial arts and magic (kuji-in). This was perhaps why ninjas were associated with the tengu. Due to the tengu’s association with fighting, a ninja’s mask was called the tengu-gui.

Logen L.