The self of the heavens has billions of clones

Chapter 181

In Japan, as a concrete manifestation of the divinity and mystery of mountains and fields, tengu has a somewhat higher status than other monsters.In various legends, it does not only represent evil, but in fact quite a few appear in the image of good gods.One of the most famous is probably the ghost of Mount Anma.It took him in when Yoshitsune's family was ruined, taught him martial arts, art of war and sorcery, and finally made Yoshitsune revenge.It can be seen that the image of goodness of Tengu is still very important in Japanese folklore.

level
The last thing I want to say is that there are grades among Tengu. The Big Tengu and the Big Tengu have higher status. In addition, there is a monster called the Crow Tengu (からすたんぐ), which looks more like a crow. It is the Tengu and the Big Tengu. Tengu's subordinates, these guys have a somewhat better image. For example, they appear in Kumano Mountain or Dewa Sanzan as messengers of Gongen or God-like body. Some people say that the original form of Crow Tengu is Garuda from India... Although it sounds a bit incredible, it is relatively close just from the appearance.At the same time, there are the White Wolf Tengu, the Konoha Tengu who serve as security guards, the Yamabushi Tengu who is responsible for printing, etc.

In Japan, Tengu is a tall, red-faced and long-nosed monster who wears a monk's uniform, high-toothed clogs, and holds a feather fan and a treasure mallet. It usually lives in the mountains and is a very powerful monster.

In Norse mythology, there are tengu-like monsters, the giant wolves Skollh and Hati.They keep chasing the sun and the moon, trying to swallow them, and they succeed in Ragnarok.

Folding Japanese Eight Great Tengus
Atagoyama Tarobo
That is, Eishu Taro, a tengu who lives in Atago Mountain, Kyoto, and the No. 1 person in the Tengu world.It is said that he was ordered by the Buddha 3000 years ago to serve as the guardian of the Atagoyama Izanagi Shrine.It is also said that its predecessor was Baekje Nirira, the teacher of Prince Shotoku (but this seems to be inconsistent with the 3000-year-old legend).

Anma Mountain Monk Zhengfang
The protagonist of the famous "Ushi Wakamaru and Kurama Tengu" legend, the teacher who taught Yoshitsune the art of war; in the official history, he is called Oniichi Hogan, and also Yoshitsune's father-in-law.According to legend, its predecessor was a descendant of Waki ​​Kiyomaro, and a disciple of Prince Kukai Kozu Shinjo, the master of propagandism, Igen Sengzheng.

Hirayama Jirobo
It was originally a tengu of Mount Hiei, but because the residence was occupied by powerful monks, it had to be moved to Mount Hira.It is a big oriental dog called "Nishi no Tarobo".According to legend, its predecessor was Saisumi, one of the first ancestors of the Tendai Sect in Japan.

Iizunasaburo
The tengu that lives in Mount Iizuna, Nagano Prefecture, uses a white fox as a mount, and uses the "Iizuna method" of controlling the fox.According to legend, its predecessor was the recumbent walker, a disciple of Master Taicheng.The tengu enshrined in Takao-san Yakuo-in Temple in Hachioji, Tokyo is Iizunasaburo.

Dashan Hoki Square
Originally the tengu of Hoki Daisen, but because of the tengu of Sagami Daisen (see later), he went to Baifeng of Shikoku for some reason, and changed to guard Sagami Daisen as his successor.It is worshiped by believers of "Fuji Ko (a certain mountain worship religious organization)".

Hikoyama Toyozenbo

The leader of Kyushu Tengu.According to legend, his true body is the son of Amaterasu, who turned into a goshawk and came to Tianjin for his life.Mount Hiko is now Hidehiko Mountain in Kyushu, Japan, and was also known as Riri Mountain in ancient times. Together with Mount Omine and Mount Haguro, it is also known as the three major training grounds of Shugendo.

Dafengqiangifang

The predecessor is the guardian former ghost subdued by Xiaojiao, the founder of Shugendao (I really want to know why the latter ghost has gone).Now as the protector of Dafeng Mountain, he is watching the practitioners who have gone through 75 difficulties and trials here.

Baifeng Sagami Workshop

Originally Sagami Dashan Tengu, he was later ordered to appease Emperor Chongde's resentment and turned to guard Baifeng, the leader of Shikoku Tengu.And because there is a legend that the resentful spirit of Emperor Chongde turned into a tengu, it is also said that its predecessor is Emperor Chongde.

The earliest records about tengu in Japan can be found in Nihon Shoki, which is also used as a metaphor for comets and meteors.In Japan, the tengu is also called the tengu because of its appearance. Until the Heian period, the tengu in Japan was still the image described in the "Shan Hai Jing".

"Nihon Shoki" in the early period of the Taika Reform in the 9th year of Emperor Mingshu in 634 A.D., a shooting star crossed the sky from east to west. In troubled times, there must be visions. A monk said: This is not a shooting star, but a shooting star. Tengu.This is the earliest record of Tengu in Japan.

Because of their Buddha nature, these practitioners were protected from falling into the four realms of hell, hungry ghosts, asuras, and animals, but because they had no moral heart, they were unable to ascend to the heavenly realm, and were eventually banished to the tengu realm beyond the six realms of reincarnation.

The six realms of reincarnation (hell, hungry ghost, asura, animal, human, heaven) and the tengu can only escape from the hell, hungry ghost, asura, animal, and cannot reach bliss because they are addicted to sorcery, which belongs to the type of plaything.

Here I want to mention the attire of the tengu. There is a saying that the tengu is the product of the lingering soul after the death of Shanfu, and Shanfu refers to the ascetic monk in the mountain.Long hair, wearing a polygonal hat, linen clothes, holding a vajra.

Origin of Kappa
It is said that "kappa" lives in rivers or ponds all over Japan. According to the research data of folklore scholar Ishikawa Junichiro, the legend of kappa is very widely distributed, including Japan's Northeast, Central, Kinki, Kansai Ishikawa-Toyama County, China Local, Shikoku, Kitakyushu, Saga in Kyushu, Miyazaki Prefecture, Amami Islands and Okinawa Prefecture, depending on the local dialect, the appellation of Kappa is also different.The common point is "children who live in the river", so they are called "kappa" (Kappa).Originally, the Kappa was an elf in the water, and was regarded as a river god and was worshiped by the people. There is also a saying that the Kappa is the messenger of the Water God, and it was transformed from the frost dropped by the Water God.

特征
According to folklore, the Kappa is thin and small, about 60 cm to 1 meter high, and weighs about 45 kg. It has a bad smell and mucus on its body, making it difficult to catch.It is said that kappa in some places have hair all over their bodies.There is a depression in the center of the kappa's head, which is dish-shaped. When there is water, it is full of vitality, and if there is no water, it will be weak.There are different opinions on the color of the head, some are said to be red, and others are said to be dark blue.Has glowing round eyes with sharp eyes.The nose is protruding and has a keen sense of smell; there are four fangs on the upper and lower sides of the mouth.Limbs are slender.The arm has a strong regeneration ability, and it will regenerate if it is severed.Each hand has only four fingers, and there are webs between the fingers.There is a carapace on the back.The buttocks have three anuses.

Bai Gui Ye Xing
According to the research of "Kappa Kappa" (the legend of Kappa pulling horses into the river), it is said that its body is like a blue-black monkey, its hands and feet are like duck feet, and the depression on the top of its head looks like a saucer, whether it is in water or on land. , as long as the water in the dish does not dry up, it will be powerful enough to wrestle with people or horses. Therefore, there is a saying in Japan to describe a catastrophe, which is called "kappa's death".

(End of this chapter)