“Karasu Tengu, Off to the Sky”

NameNetsuke

CultureJapanese

Date2022

Place madeNew Zealand, OCEANIA

(not assigned)JAPAN, East Asia, Asia

MediumDeer antler, buffalo horn

Dimensions96mm

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, Museum Purchase, IFAF Collection, FA.2022.45.1

Object numberFA.2022.45.1

ProvenanceMade in New Zealand by artist Fumio Noguchi in 2022, then purchased directly from the artist via their website

DescriptionJapanese netsuke figure of a karasu tengu, or a bird-like tengu. Made from a slender piece of antler, with their beak pointed straightup, and ears/hair along back. He wears One-tooth-Geta (wooden sandal)

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.