Ghosts & Spirits ยท Japan
Tengu
Japanese mountain beings, often birdlike or long-nosed, tied to pride, martial skill, and disruption.
Legend File
Tengu live in the charged space between mountain spirit, yokai, and Buddhist warning tale. Sometimes birdlike, sometimes long-nosed and human-shaped, they can be teachers of martial skill or dangerous beings who punish arrogance. Their stories make the mountain a place where pride is exposed and discipline is tested.
Source Framing
Japanese folklore and yokai tradition around tengu: mischievous mountain beings, birdlike or long-nosed forms, Buddhist warning tales about pride, and later links with yamabushi/Shugendo mountain ascetics.
