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Tengu's Real Name: Daitengu, karasu-tengu; named tengu such as Sōjōbō
folklore
Tengu (天狗) 本名: Daitengu, karasu-tengu; named tengu such as Sōjōbō (大天狗・烏天狗・僧正坊)
Answer: Tengu (天狗) are mountain spirits of Japanese folklore. They appear as the long-nosed daitengu (大天狗) and the crow-billed karasu-tengu (烏天狗), and famous individuals have their own names, like Sōjōbō (僧正坊) of Mount Kurama.
Folklore label: legend, not history.
The word 天狗 means "heavenly dog" and was borrowed from a Chinese term for a meteor or dog-like demon. In Japan the tengu changed over centuries into a bird-like mountain spirit, and later into the red-faced, long-nosed figure dressed as a yamabushi mountain monk.
Two main types appear: the 大天狗 (daitengu), long-nosed and powerful, and the 烏天狗 (karasu-tengu), with a crow's beak and wings. Individual tengu are tied to sacred mountains: 僧正坊 (Sōjōbō) of Mount Kurama is said in legend to have taught swordsmanship to the young Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and Tarōbō is linked to Mount Atago.
Tengu were once seen as dangerous, then as protectors of mountains and martial arts.
FAQ
What does tengu mean? 天狗 literally means "heavenly dog."
Who did the tengu Sōjōbō train? In legend, the young Minamoto no Yoshitsune.