Tengu from Nikko

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Nikkoozan Tookooboo 日光山東光坊 - Tengu Tokobo. Toko-Bo from Mount Nikko
He is one of the
. 四十八天狗 48 Tengu of Japan .

There lived another Tengu, also one of the 48 great ones, called
Myoogizan Nikkooboo 妙義山日光坊 - Nikkobo, Myogisan (Myogiyama)
- see below -


En no Gyoja 役小角 and Unpen Shonin 雲遍上人 once came to a 清瀧 waterfall in the 日光山 Nikko Mountains to practise austerities. Suddenly a black cloud hang over the waterfall and a terrible thunderstorm rattled and strong wind blew.
The two of them were 一心不乱 undisturbed by all this, sat down and said their esoteric mantras in deep quiet.
Suddenly the sky cleared again and now they saw a Tengu sitting in the branches of the large cedar tree. The Tengu faded from sight in no time.

. Tengu, sugi 天狗と杉と伝説 Legends about Tengu and Cedar trees .
- Introduction -

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Nikkoozan Tookooboo 日光山東光坊 Tengu Tokobo. Toko-Bo from Mount Nikko


source : blogs.yahoo.co.jp/gtmf10

In a highland called 古峯ヶ原 Kobugahara, from where the town of 鹿沼市 Kanuma can be overlooked, there is the shrine
Komine Jinja 古峯ヶ原古峯神社 (Furumine Jinja).
It dates back more than 1300 years. If was founded by a man from Kyoto, 隼人 Hayato,
and its deity in residence is
日本武尊 Yamato Takeru

This shrine is better known by its name of
Tengu no Yashiro 天狗の社 Shrine of the Tengu
People used to stay here for religious rituals and practise, so it is also called
Tengu no yado 天狗の宿 "The Inn of the Tengu"


古峯ヶ原古峯神社 - Tochigi Prefecture, 鹿沼市 Kanuma, Kusagyu, 3027


source : goto on facebook


The shrine has many memorabilia of the Tengu, big and small.
It also offers stamps of the Tengu, 天狗の御朱印 with 16 different faces of the Tengu.






. Tengu Shuin 天狗朱印 temple stamps .

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There used to live many Tengu in the mountains of Nikko, and their boss was Tokobo.

Apart from Toko-Bo and Nikko-Bo there was the local Tengu

Kobugahara Hayatoboo 古峯ヶ原隼人坊 Hayato-Bo from Kobugahara
It is not quite clear if he is the person who founded the shrine.
Hayato may have been a disciple of En no Gyoja or a relative of
. Zenkibō 前鬼坊 Zenkibo, Zenki-Bo .
and his wife Goki 後鬼.

- - - Later
. Shoodoo Shoonin 勝道上人 Priest Saint Shodo Shonin - Introduction . (735 - 817)
practised Shugendo rituals in Nikko and helped deepen the belief in the Tengu, who would protect people from misfortune and extinguish fires in the region.

There is a ceremony in Nikko where the participants receive large bowls of rice.
Nikko Gohanshiki 日光強飯式 Nikko Gohan Shiki
It is also called
tengu no goohan 天狗の強飯 large rice portion of the Tengu
..... One bowl contains 5,4 kilograms (一升五合) of rice.
This ceremony goes back to Saint Shodo Shonin (Shoodoo Shoonin 勝道上人)(735 - 817), who started the mountain worship in Nikko, connecting the Shinto and Budshist religion.

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日光の天狗は徳川家康 The Tengu of Nikko and Tokugawa Ieyasu

Mount Nantaisan 男体山 (2484.2ｍ) in Oku Nikko had been first visited by Saint Shodo in 782. At that time it was called 補陀洛山 Fudaraku San, later changed to 二荒山（ふたらやま) Futarayama.
Kobo Daishi Kukai read the two Chinese characters 二荒 as にこう nikoo, and soon the name changed to にっこう Nikko. The Chinese characters then changed to 日光.



Legend says that Toko-Bo was in incarnation of 徳川家康 Tokugawa Ieyasu.
His posthumous name was 東照権現 Tosho Gongen, but legend says he had also pondered the name of
Tookoo Gongen 東光権現 Toko Gongen (Deity Shining in the East)

Since his soul-Tengu was a newcomer, he tried to fight the older Tengu of the deep mountains of Nikko, but always lost ground.

When his memorial shrine, 東照宮 Toshogu, was finished, many people came to visit here and venerate the former Shogun (turned Tengu), so the older Tengu of Nikko were quite upset.
They played tricks on the visitors and caused much confusion.

The year turned to 1825, the time of 徳川家斉 Shogun Tokugawa Ienari.
His Minister, Mizuno Dewa no Kami 水野出羽守, made friends with the Old Tengu of Kobugahara, Hayato-Bo, who helped him to get rid of the other Old Tengu by putting up a sign forbidding them to come closer and not disturb the visitors coming to venerate the Shogun turned Tengu Toko-Bo. If they did not like it, they were free to move on to the other famous Tengu Mountains, like Atago, Kurama, Akiba or Hikosan.
- This sounds like a fantastic tale . . . maybe it is true? maybe not true?

- reference source : toki.moo.jp/gaten/401-450 -


As late as 1860, in advance of a visit by the shogun Iemochi, officials of the city of Nikko posted an official notice:
To the tengu and the other demons:
Whereas our shogun intends to visit the Nikko mausoleums next April: Now therefore, Tengu and other demons inhabiting these mountains must remove elsewhere until the shogun’s visit is concluded.
. Hirata Atsutane 平田篤胤 and the Tengu 仙童寅吉 Sendo Torakichi .


. Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 . (1543 - 1616) .
and his mausoleum, 日光の東照宮 Nikko no Tosho-Gu

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In the Manga world the Tengu Tokobo is a master of 光壁術
日光に住まう陽気で楽天家な天狗。
明るく人当りも良いが人間は天狗に従属すべきだと思っており、一度比叡天狗に追放されている。
- reference source : wikiwiki.jp/heian -

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Myoogizan Nikkooboo 妙義山日光坊 Nikko-Bo, Nikkobo, Myogisan
He is now venerated in Gunma at Mount Myogisan (Myogizan).



- quote -
Mt. Myogisan
The fantastically shaped rocks sculpt dramatic forms of natural beauty and offer various attractive landscapes throughout the seasons. Mt. Myogisan can be viewed with pleasure from afar or enjoyed by climbing its steep slopes, so that it is loved by photographers and mountaineers.
- source : visitgunma.jp/en/sightseeing -

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Myoogi Jinja 妙義神社 Shrine Myogi Jinja
It was founded in 537 and is thus one of the oldes shrines in Japan.
The Mountain Deity itself is enshrined here.
The Deity is venerated for protecting from fire, bring a good harvest and also for good business and prosperity. So many famous Daimyo Lords came here to worship and donate buildings and treasures.
日本武尊 Prince Yamato Takeru is also enshrined here.

This shrine is located near the eastern foot of Mount 白雲山 Hakuun-zan, one of the peaks of Mt. Myogi.
It is known for its bright colours and decorative ornaments.
The shrine building now is from around 1700.
At its gate are two Demon statues, one red and one in green, with tiger-skin pants.
This shrine serves quite a lot of deities and mountain spirits.

At the back of the main shrine is a small sub-shrine dedicated to the regional Tengu.


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When Yamato Takeru climbed 白雲山 Mount Hakuun-zan , he founded a shrine to venerate the deity
Hagoso 波己曽（はごそ）神, and the mountain was named after it, 波己曽山 Hagoso-zan. This name later changed to Myogiisan.
Hakoso Jinja　波己曽神社 /　波己曽（はこそ）神社　Hakoso Shrine

In the year 1394 a high-ranking court official named 花山院 Kazan-In 右近衛大将藤原長親 Nagachika (? - 1429) renounced the world and became a Waka poet and monk, calling himself
Kooun Meigi 耕雲明魏 （こううんめいぎ）Koun Meigi
and built his humble abode at mount 華頂山 Kacho-zan in the forests of Kyoto, one of the 36 peaks of the 東山三十六峰 / 東山36峰 Higashiyama Mountain range.
After living there for about 10 years, he took of for a trip to the Kanto region and ended up at Mount Myogisan. The local people had great faith in him.
After his death he was venerated as
Myoogi Hooshi 妙魏法師 Myogi Hoshi , changing his name from
明魏 Meigi to 妙義 Myogi, and also changing the name of the Mountain range in his honor.

- HP of the shrine Myogi Jinja
Hakoso sha 波己曽社（はこそしゃ） Hakoso Shrine in the compound.
- reference source : myougi.jp/yuisho -


. Yamato Takeru 日本武尊 .
legendary prince of the Yamato dynasty - Introduction -


For Yosa Buson, this mountain reminded him of the famous
峨眉山 Gabi San in China.


source : cardiac.exblog.jp

. Yosa Buson　与謝蕪村 visiting Myogisan .

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Tengu Myoogiboo 天狗妙義坊 Myogi-Bo, Myogibo
Ueno Myogiboo 上野妙義坊 Ueno Myogi-Bo

He is one of the
. 四十八天狗 48 Tengu of Japan .

Mount Myogisan with his special rock formation is venerated as the deity
Myogi Daigongen 妙義大権現
with the character DAI 大 LARGE as its symbol.

The Tengu 妙義坊 Myogi-Bo is an incarnation of this Gongen.

妙義山の大ノ字 Myogisan no Dai no Ji



People walking along the old roads with a view to Mount Mogisan folded their hands in prayer.

- reference source : toki.moo.jp/gaten/401-450 413... -

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source : toki.moo.jp/gaten/101-150/gate129/gate129...

This Tengu lived at 金洞山 Mount Kondosan, the middle peak of the Myogisan range.
He is also called priest 長清法印天狗 Nagakiyo Hoin Tengu.
He is a kind of kaijin 怪人 phantom Yokai with special powers, swapping places from the persimmon trees in the village to the clouds up in the sky. He is very strong and once stopped a mountain slide during a huge rainstorm. There are various legends about him in the village.
His father was a retainer of the 小田原北条家 Hojo clan of Odawara and got killed. To revenge him, Nagakiyo practised austerities in the mountains to become strong. fter taking revenge, he spent some time at the temple 寛永寺 Kanei-Ji in Ueno, but then came back to Mound Kondosan.

His mask is called 魔除妙義山中之岳大天狗　Mayoke Myogi Nakanotake Dai Tengu
and helps to prevent evil influence.
At the bottom of the mountain is the Shrine 中之岳神社 / 中之嶽神社 Nakanotake Jinja.



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Hooseiboo 比叡山法性坊 Hoseibo, Hieizan
one of the 48 Tengu.



妙義大権現 Myogi Daigongen is supposed to be Hosei-Bo from Hieizan
比叡山十三代目の座主法性坊尊意僧正, he came here in 940.
He promised to help the people who live in this region.
「われは比叡山座主（ざす）尊意僧正なり。宿世の縁でこの山に住し、衆生を済度せん」


上毛三山・妙義山の奥ノ院
Three peaks of 白雲山 - 金鶏山 - 金洞山
波己曽とは岩社（いわこそ）の意味で岩がご神体
- reference source : toki.moo.jp/gaten/251-300/gate292 -

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The Tengu Jirobo first lived at Mount Hieizan 比叡山, but moved on to moved on to 比良山 Hirasan in Shiga.

. Jirooboo, Jirōbō 次郎坊 / 二郎坊 Jirobo Tengu .

At 横川の大師 the Temple of Yokawa Daishi at Mount Hieizan, there is a Tengu Room. It is locked up with nails on all four sides.
Sometimes people can hear the sound of wings flapping inside.
and
a story about the toilet of Enryaku-Ji, where a Tengu from India took home.
比叡山延暦寺のトイレに辿り着いた天竺天狗

Tenjiku Tengu 天竺天狗 The Tengu from India
In the 今昔物語 Konjaku Monogatari (early 12c) there are 11 stories about Tengu. One is about a Tengu from India, who came to Japan via China, to obstruct the Law of Buddhism. It might have been connected to legends about the Garuda Bird ガルーダ（迦楼羅.

The Tengu from India followed the flow of the waters and rivers, from Hakata to the Setonaikai Sea and up the Ujigawa toward Hieizan.
比叡山の横川 Yokogawa at Hieizan had been founded by Ennin.
The Tengu choose to stay at the toilet of the temple.
The voices of priests reciting the sutras in the temple were to be heard, but the deities never came close. The voices reciting sutras came running down the river and past the toilet. As the Tengu form India listened to them all the time, he changed his mind and decided to help the Law of Buddhism. He choose to become a human with the name
Myoogu, Myōgu 明救（みょうぐ） Myogu.
He was the son of Imperial Prince 有明 Ariakira.
He administered the affairs of Mt. Hiei one year and died on the 5th day of the 7th month of 1020 at the age of 75.
- reference : High Priest Myogu (946 - 1020) -


. Tengu Nichiryo from India 天竺（インド）の日良 .
and 愛宕山太郎坊 Atago Tarobo Tengu


. Tengu no Ma 天狗の間 - 伝説 Legends about the Tengu Room .


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. 四十八天狗 - 48 famous Tengu of Japan .

. Tengu 天狗と伝説 Tengu legends "Long-nosed Goblin" .

. - yookai, yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

- #Nikkotengu #Nikkobo #tokobo #shodoshoninpriest #myogisan -
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