Tengu 100% (Banquet Performance by Tengu)

NameNetsuke

CultureJapanese

Date2020

Place madeTokyo, JAPAN, East Asia, Asia

MediumBoxwood, inlaid with kazuno (deer antler) and glass

Dimensions6.0 x 3.6 x 3.5 cm

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, Museum Purchase, IFAF Collection, FA.2022.

Object numberFA.2022.44.2a-c

DescriptionJapanese netsuke figure of a tengu yokai spirit, a dark yellow-green color, carved with a typical beak shaped mouth, tiny black hat, red bow-tie, and a fan covering his private area.

A tengu is a mountain goblin or spirit. There are different types of tengu. Daitengu are usually depicted as a male human, or at times as a yamabushi (“mountain priest”) with a long nose and a red face. A karasu tengu is a bird or bird-like tengu. They are usually associated with flight, and sometimes their form is a combination of a long-nosed man with bird wings. Tengu are generally considered malevolent spirits. In early Japanese Buddhism the image of the tengu as a monk was sometimes used to convince people not to follow opposing Buddhist groups. However, like other yokai, tengu do not easily fall into a good or bad category. Despite their description as malicious, tengu can also be noble and helpful.