👺 天狗 (tengu) [heavenly dog or sentinel] are legendary creatures considered gods in the Shinto faith.
Like 河童 (kappa) [water sprites], 化け狸 (bake-danuki) [shape shifting tanuki] & アマビエ (amabie)
a mermaid associated with epidemics, tengu are a type of 妖怪 (yōkai) [supernatural being].
飯縄大権現 Izuna Daigongen with attendant tengu, riding a fox, holding a coil of rope and a sword
located near the 仏舎利塔 Butsusha ritō [stupa]
on the hill between the Men's and Women's Slopes.
(left) 羽団扇 hauchiwa [magical feather fan]. The sign offers a tengu fan for 600 yen! / (middle/right) 俊源大徳 Shungen Daitoku
In 1375, Kyoto priest who performed the Gomakuyohiho on Mt. Takao and was visited by 飯縄大権現 Izuna Daigongen.
👺 The 天狗 Tengu of 山門 Sanmon [The Mountain Gate]
👺 The 鼻高天狗 hanatakatengu [tall/long nosed tengu] (right) holds a magic feather fan
👺 while the 烏天狗 karasu [crow] tengu (left) brandishes a sword.
南無飯縄大権現中興開山六百三十年記念 Namu Izuna Daigongen Restoration 630th Anniversary
大小天狗像建立御寄進者芳 Statues of large and small tengu erected by the donor Yoshi
平成十七年 [2005] 秋季大祭建碑 當三十二世隆 [Autumn Grand Festival Monument]
There are two varieties of 天狗 tengu.
大天狗 (dai tengu) [greater tengu] or 鼻高天狗 (hanataka tengu) [tall/long nosed tengu] are often depicted as red faced 山伏 (yamabushi) mountain ascetics carrying a 錫杖 (shakujō) metal staff, often armed with a 羽団扇 (hauchiwa) magical feather fan.
小天狗 (ko tengu) [small/lesser tengu] or 烏天狗 (karasu tengu) [crow tengu] have a beaked face and often wield a sword.
👺 Guardian Tengu at the back of 仁王門 Niōmon Gate
Both varieties of tengu are often winged and have a fondness for 日本酒 (nihonshu) Japanese sake.
👺 薬王院 Yakuōin Sanctuary Tengu Guardians
👺 Tengu Mask Votive Tablets
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👺 飛飯縄堂 Hi īnawa-dō shrine
👺 飛飯縄堂 Hi īnawa-dō shrine on the stairs from the West side of 薬王院 Yakuōin to 権現堂 Gongendō [Izuna Gongen Shrine]
👺 飯縄大権現 Izuna Daigongen holding a sword and coil of rope, riding on the back of a white fox.
👺 権現堂 Gongendō [Izuna Gongen Shrine]
👺 Takahana Tengu
👺 Karasu tengu/Michael & Tommy with the karasu tengu (circa 1959-1961)
👺 天狗社 Tengusha
天狗下駄 tengu geta ema [votive offerings]
「腰痛平癒 健脚祈願」の下駄 Yōtsū heiyu kenkyaku kigan' no geta [healing lower back pain & healthy legs]
一本歯下駄 ipponba geta [one tooth geta]
「腰痛平癒」 yōtsū heiyu [healing lower back pain]
「健脚祈願」 kenkyaku kigan [healthy legs]
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Tengu are widely depicted in ukiyo-e prints especially by 歌川国芳 Kuniyoshi, his pupil 月岡芳年 Yoshitoshi and 河鍋暁斎 Kyōsai.
Their positive image adoption by the Buddhist faith has been a more modern development from earlier negative associations with chaos and war.
飯縄大権現 Izuna Daigongen
髙尾山 薬王院 本社・権現堂 Takaosan Yakuōin honsha Gongendō [Izuna Gongen Shrine]
仏舎利奉