天狗とは何か――中国の凶星は、なぜ日本で「仏敵」となったのか【日本書紀・崇徳上皇】

What exactly is a tengu? A red face. A long nose. The robes of a mountain ascetic. A feather fan in its hand. Today, the tengu is one of the most recognizable figures in Japanese folklore — a strange being of the mountains, often counted among Japan’s most famous yokai. But the first tengu recorded in Japan was not a mountain demon. In the Nihon Shoki, during the reign of Emperor Jomei, a mysterious light crossed the sky with a thunderous sound. It was identified through the Chinese idea of the “heavenly dog” — an ominous celestial sign said to foretell disaster. How did this star of ill omen become a bird-like mountain spirit in Japan? Why did it come to be seen as an enemy of the Buddhist path, connected to pride, temptation, and the strange realm known as tengu-dō? And how did the defeated retired emperor Sutoku become remembered as a terrifying force of resentment, wrapped in the image of the tengu? In this episode, we trace the long transformation of the tengu: from the Shanhaijing, the Records of the Grand Historian, and the Nihon Shoki, to medieval Buddhist tales, the legend of Emperor Sutoku, and later stories of people who claimed to encounter tengu in the mountains. This is the story of how a celestial omen from China became one of Japan’s most haunting yokai. ▼ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:10 The Dog That Fell from the Night Sky 03:30 Why Did the Tengu Become a Bird? 06:30 Oni as Enemies of Onmyoji, Tengu as Enemies of Buddhism 09:30 When an Enemy of the Court Became a Tengu 13:30 Those Who Encountered the Tengu 17:00 Afterword 18:00 Summary 18:50 Next Episode ▼ Main References ・Shanhaijing, “Classic of the Western Mountains” ・Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian, “Treatise on the Celestial Offices” ・Nihon Shoki, Emperor Jomei, 9th year ・The Tale of the Heike ・The Tale of Hōgen ・Taiheiki ・Shasekishū ・Illustrated Scrolls of the Seven Tengu ・Hirata Atsutane, Senkyō Ibun ・Imakagami ・Research materials on Emperor Sutoku, tengu belief, Shugendō, and medieval Buddhist tales ▼ Subscribe    / @tales-of-the-strange   ▼ About Tales of the Strange Tales of the Strange is a channel that quietly traces strange beings recorded in old books and legends. From China’s Shanhaijing to Japanese yokai, Western demons and angels, and myths and folklore from around the world, this channel explores the forms of monsters, divine beasts, demons, and other strange beings — together with the meanings hidden behind them. New long-form videos are planned weekly, around 10 to 15 minutes each. ▼ Production Notes This video is an independently structured commentary based on historical sources, legends, and related research. The script, narration, and editing are produced independently by this channel. The visuals mainly use public-domain classical images, with AI-generated visuals used only as supplementary material. #Tengu #JapaneseYokai #Yokai #EmperorSutoku #NihonShoki #Shanhaijing #JapaneseFolklore #TalesOfTheStrange