. Tengu 天狗と伝説 Tengu legends "Long-nosed Goblin" .
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Tengu Legends from Fukushima
福島県の天狗伝説
Let us start with a sip of the local Daitengu Sake !
大天狗酒造株式会社 -福島県本宮市 Motomiya town - - - Dai Tengu
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Some legends about Tengu, the Mountain Goblin, are told in all of Fukushima, some are related to a special district or village.
Many legends have been collected by 柳田国男 Yanagita Kunio
in a collection named
妖怪名彙 / Yōkai Dangi 妖怪談義 Yokai Dangi
. Yanagita Kunio 柳田國男 .
Kunio Yanagita, Yanagida 柳田国男 (1875 - 1962)
Yanagita Kunio, "Tengu no hanashi" (1909)
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Tengu no ashiato 天狗の足跡 footprints of a Tengu - see below
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Tengudaoshi, Tengu-daoshi 天狗だおし / 天狗倒し
"Tengu knocking down trees"
- - - 空木倒し sora kigaeshi
- - - 天狗の木倒し Tengu no kidaoshi
The sound of cutting down a tree with a saw or ax is heard at night, but next morning nothing is to be seen.
This refers to strange noises in a lonely forest.
Also in 相馬郡 Soma district 飯舘村 Iidate and 田村郡 Tamura district
This phenomenon is also known in other parts of Japan.
- - - Tengusama 天狗様 Tengu Sama
On the 8th and 9th day in the second and 12th month of the old lunar calendar people were not allowed to work in the mountains. That would certainly bring them bad luck.
Someone who tried to go to the mountain on the 9th day of the second lunar month got hit by a boulder, fell down a crevice and died.
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In the very remote mountains of Fukushima, where people rarely come,
Tengu throw down trees.
Another Yokai monster creature living there is
オンボノヤス Onbonyasu / オボノヤス Obonyasu.
He can blow fog and make the region unsafe. People easily loose their way in his fog.
Maybe 尾のある妖怪 a Yokai with a Tail.
- reference source : wikipedia -
福島県田村地方の山 The Tamura Mountains, where Obonyaku lives
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福島市 Fukushima city
- - - Yama no Kamisama 山の神様 Deity of the Mountain
Every year on the first of January, February 2 and October 17, the Deity of the Mountain comes down to visit. He is most probably a male Tengu. On these days people involved in forest work come together in the main family home, eat rice cakes and drink Sake. On these days it is not allowed to go to the forest to work.
. Yamanokami and Tengu legends .
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東白川郡 Higashi Shirakawa district 古殿町 Furudono
Hime no Gozen Yama 姫の御前山 /姫御前山
at "the Mountain of the Princess" there lives a Tengu.
He frightens people with loud noises. Once a woman went to the mountain to collect kuri 栗 sweet chestnuts, but was frightened away.
Tengu like the nara no ki ならの木 Nara oak tree and sometimes the branches look like the beard of a Tengu.
. nara 楢 / ならの木 Japanese oak
Quercus serrata / Quercus crispula .
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東白川郡 Higashi Shirakawa district 塙町 Hanawa
- - - Tengu no ashiato 天狗の足跡 footprints of a Tengu
They say the footprints of a Tengu are still visible here.
- And at 古殿町 Furudono Town, 鎌倉岳 Mount Kamakuradake
The legend tells of 猿丸 Waka Poet Sarumaru.
Around 608, the poet Sarumaru went hunting in the 葛野 Kazurano region. He followed a 白鹿 white deer for a while when he became tired, sat down and fell asleep at Mount Kamakuradake.
A Tengu appeared in his dream, standing on a boulder: "The white deer is the messenger of the Deity!" When Sarumaru woke up, he saw 天狗の足跡 the footprint of the Tengu on the boulder.
. The Poet Sarumaru Dayu 猿丸大夫 .
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In the early Meiji period, some pilgrims wanted to visit Kobugahara.
There was a wicked one among them. When they stayed at an inn in Furudono, he went to have a bath, but he was taken away, including the bath tub, by a Tengu.
. Kobugahara 古峯ヶ原 / 古峰原 / コブガハラ Kobugahara . - Gunma
and the Tengu Hayatoboo 隼人坊 Hayato-Bo, Hayatobo
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飯坂町 Iizakamachi
- - - kami kakushi 神隠し kidnapped by the gods
At 七つ森の峠 Nanatsumori Toge pass on the way to Miyagi there lived a Tengu who kidnapped people when they angered him. To appease him and be allowed to go back, they had to practise austerities for one weak.
Once a man did not believe in this kind of "nonsense" and went to the mountain for work, carrying some rice provisions in his backpack. But - he did not come back in due time. When the villagers went to look for him, they found him dead on a branch more than 6 meters above ground, still carrying his backpack with the rice.
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石川郡 Ishikawa district 平田村 Hirata village
A forest worker took his lunchbox to the forest and hung it on a tree branch, while doing his work. At lunchtime, he wanted to eat, but the box was empty.
A Tengu must have had eaten his lunch - for sure.
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いわき市 Iwaki city
The Tengu lives at 団子山 Mount Dangoyama.
Once a man with a twisted neck was healed by this Tengu. Since the man was a painter, he painted the Tengu to show his gratitude.
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. Karasu Tengu 烏天狗 at 川中子の愛宕神社 Atago Shrine of Kawanakago .
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いわき郡 Iwaki district 石城郡 いわきのこおり Iwaki nokoori
田人村 Tabitomura
- - - Tengu no warabuchi-ishi 天狗の藁ブチ石
This is the name of a boulder at the Northern side of the Shrine.
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- - - - - Takegarayama 竹柄山 / 竹がら山 Mount Takegarayama
Takegarayama Yazawa, Sukagawa-shi, Fukushima
On the highest place lives a Tengu. When the weather changes to the worst, this Tengu beats a loud drum to warn the people.
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喜多方市 Kitakata town
- - - Tengu no sumootori ba 天狗の相撲とり場 Tengu and Sumo wrestling
At the place where the Tengu used to practise sumo wrestling, a Tengu once had his long nose come off.
It turned into the flower of 水バショウ Mizubasho, skunk cabbage.
福島市土湯 「びっき沼の水芭蕉」-
Tsuchiyu Hot Spring : Mizubasho from Bikkurinuma swamp
鼻かけ天狗 Tengu who lost his nose
Mukashibanashi story 山梨県 from Yamanashi
- reference source : blog.goo.ne.jp/inehapo/e -
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南会津郡 Minami Aizu district
- - - Tengu-doori 天狗通り Tengu passing
It happens during daytime in the mountain forest. First there is the sound of pyuuun, then the sound of wings flapping.
This is also heard by farmers who try fishing in mountain rivers in the evening.
Another version of Tengu-daoshi.
- - - kami kakushi 神隠し kidnapped by the gods
A villager had mysteriously disappeared. He had gone to the mountain forest of the village in the evening, but in the morning something like 子馬 a pony appeared and seemed to invite a relative to follow him. When he followed the pony, he came to the forest of the neighbouring village. There a huge Tengu appeared and said:
"He is not allowed to be here, take him back to his own village!"
- - - Tengusama 天狗様 Tengu Sama
Once a man climbed on the tree stump near the sanctuary of Tengu sama and called out:
天狗天狗さらわばさらえ Tengu Tengu, if you want to kidnapp me, come on !
On the way home he felt like being pulled backwards and when he turned around, a 鎌 sickle had fallen down behind him on the road. When he came back home, the sickle disappeared.
A few days later he found the sickle high in a tree in the wood. This was the trick of a Tengu.
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A man from Inamura village 伊南村の宮澤 went fishing at a river near 黒谷入, when he saw a strange shadow. Observing the water surface he saw a long red nose and a red face. This must have been a Tengu.
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- - - 朝日村 Asahi village 丸山岳 Mount Maruyamadake
Tengu no Hanabatake 天狗のお花畑
Flower Garden of the Tengu
This mountain is the dwelling place of Tengu since olden times. It has a large plain on its top, where many mountain flowers blossom.
The locals call it the Flower Garden of the Tengu.
- - - Hachiroozaemon 八郎左衛門
The Honest, Pious Hachirozaemon
Hachirozaemon had a large swelling on the cheek To get healed he had to dance with a Tengu, who then took away the lumpy swelling.
Another man who could not see with one eye tried the same. But he was a bad, wicked person and thus he did not get healed but instead even got the lump of Hachirozaemon on his cheek too.
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- - - Tengu tsubute-ishi 天狗礫石 Tengu throwing gravel stones
At night there is a sound of stones hitting the wooden rain shutters. They say a Tengu is trying to take an aim.
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- Odegusama, O-Degu Sama オデグ様
"The honorable huge one", 男の神様 a Mountain Deity
Once a woman at the other side of the river had a competition with him, throwing stones. The stones war called Tengu Ishi 天狗石 Tengu stones. They have fallen down along the mountain forest of O-Degu Sama.
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南会津郡 Minami Aizu district 大宮村 Omiyamura village
Below the 天狗岩 Tenguiwa boulder is a 天狗堂 Tengu Hall.
Way up the mountain path is a small sanctuary. There are many 玉石 cobblestones around. Villagers say a Tengu from the neighbouring mountain had thrown them here during a fight with the Tengu of this mountain.
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大沼郡 Onuma district 金山町 Kaneyama
Tengu-Iwa 天狗岩 Tengu Boulder
In former times at the Tengu-Iwa 天狗岩 Tengu Boulder, people could hear the sound of Tengu cutting wood.
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Once a forest worker stayed over night in the small hut, when suddenly a strong wind blew and he heard the sound of trees falling down.
But next morning there was not a single tree fallen down.
In another night he heard the sound of stones falling on the boulder near by.
In another night he had the feeling the whole hut was carried into the air.
He promised never to say anything bad about the local Tengu and then went home safely.
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白川郡 Shirakawa district 表郷村 Omotego village
At Mount Tenguyama 天狗山 Tengu-Yama,
there lives the Tengu. He lives in the high regions and has a very long nose.
Shirakawa's Tengu Mountain - a beautiful scenery with large rice fields at the feet of the mountain.
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相馬郡 Soma district
- Tengu no Mori 天狗の森 Forest of the Tengu
At night a mysterious blue flame wanders through this forest and people who see it never come back home.
This is the deed of a Tengu.
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相馬郡 Soma district 飯舘村 Iidate
- - - Above のべがみ森 Nobegamimori Forest
there lives a Tengu.
Some people have been shocked and surprized by him.
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耶麻郡 Yama district
kasakake matsu 笠かけ松 /
笠掛けの松 pine to hang a straw hat
On the top of 護法山 Mount Gohozan there is the "Pine to hang a straw hat!.
Once upon a time, a Tengu had kidnapped villagers and hung them on the branches, sometimes he just stole their robes and straw hats and hung them in the tree.
In former times there were two trees,
the hitokake matsu 人かけ松 "pine to hang humans" and the
kasakake no matsu 笠掛けの松 pine to hang a straw hat for the robes.
Now the Hitokake withered away and only the Kasakake is still there.
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- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -
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. Fukushima Masanori 福島正則 (1561 - 1624) .
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Tengu no ashiato 天狗の足跡 footprints of a Tengu
see above 東白川郡 Higashi Shirakawa district.
- CLICK for more regional photos ! -
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茨城県 Ibaraki 新治郡 Niihari district 八郷町 Yasato machi
When the owner of the land tried to move ths stone, he got injured and gave up.
愛宕山は天狗 From the Tengu of Mount Atagoyama
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香川県 Kagawa 高松市 Takamatsu city
This is a tale about the geta 下駄 wooden sandals of a Tengu, who is venerated in this sanctuary.
After bringing the sandals as offerings, the villagers found them full of mud next morning and his footprints in the rocks.
The Tengu must have taken a walk this night !
飯野山 Iinoyama (讃岐富士 Sanuki Fuji ）
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長野県 Nagano 駒ヶ根市 Komagane city
On a flat round stone there were strange imprints, like from wooden sandals.
This must have been the footprints of a Tengu.
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和歌山県 Wakayama 西牟婁郡 Nishimuro district 日置川町 Hikigwacho village
In the floor of the home of 徳蔵 Tokuzo there are imprints of the feet of a Tengu.
They can not be washed away with water. It seems the Tengu comes often to take Tokuzo with him for somefun.
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山梨県 Yamanashi 南巨摩郡 Minamikoma district 早川町 Hayakawa village
The Forest 奈良田に天狗森 Tengu no Mori in Narada Hot Spring
In 1890 someone sold the trees of this wood. When the new owner 大衛門 Taemon begun felling the trees, there occurred a fire the same night and the temple 外良寺 Gairyo-Ji and 13 homes burned down.
The villagers knew this was the curse of the Tengu. Soon they planted new trees and built a sanctuary for the Tengu.
Taemon soon lost his job and killed himself.
On the rock in the forest there are imprints of geta 下駄 wooden sandals, the footprints of the local Tengu.
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Tengu Sumoo 天狗 相撲 Tengu and Sumo wrestling
. Legends about Tengu and Sumo wrestling .
How the Tengu lost his nose
- reference source : blog.goo.ne.jp/inehapo/e -
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