Masque "tengu" ("Long nose")

Description

wood, red pigment residues, rest., base

“Tengu” (“heavenly dog”) are a type of legendary creature which are attributed to the “yōkai” (supernatural beings).

Originally, the “tengu” were feared, which is why people tried to appease them with offerings. They caused obsessions, attacked and abducted monks and children, were aggressive and armed.

With the early modern era, humorous aspects gained weight. Many a “tengu” was now up to all kinds of mischief. Also, in many places the beak changed into a long nose with the corresponding sexual connotations. Because of their long noses, from the Japanese point of view, Europeans were also occasionally depicted as “tengu” in the late Edo period.