Karasu-Tengu

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Karasu-Tengu
Name
Japanese	カラス天狗
Rōmaji	Karasu-Tengu
Meaning	Crow Tengu
Additional Information
Primary Abilities	Flight
First Appearance
Manga	Akuma Belial (1968)
Anime	Series 1 Episode 30 (1968)

Karasu-Tengu (カラス天狗 Karasu Tengu) are a race of winged tengu who resemble crows. Many Karasu-Tengu serve as part of the Tengu Police, though there are evil ones, such as Koku'unbō. In Kitarō Kunitori Monogatari and the made-for-video movie GeGeGe no Kitarō: The Demon Flute Eloim Essaim, Nurarihyon has some Karasu-Tengu working for him.

Appearance

Karasu-Tengu are tengu that resembles anthropomorphic crows, with prominent beaks and a pair of large black wings. They usually wear the robes of a yamabushi, consisting of a white suzukake underneath a hanten of dark colors, a white yui-gesa around their chests, black tekō around their hands and atop their heads are black tokins tied with a red string. They wear a pair of dark tattsuke-bakama for their pants, black kyahan, white socks called tabi and waraji for their footwear.

The Karasu-Tengu of Daisen resemble anthropomorphic crows, having tan feathers, pointy ears, large grey beaks and most noticeable a pair of large black wings. They have varying builds, a multitude on different hair colors and styles and some having thicker eyebrows than others. They wear the yamabushi robes, consisting of a white suzukake underneath a hanten of varying colors, usually dark colors such as green, teal, violet or blue, a white yui-gesa around their chests, black tekō around their hands and atop their heads are black tokins tied with a red string. For their pants they wear a pair of tattsuke-bakama, usually black or navy blue, black kyahan, white tabi and waraji for their footwear. Some have been seen wearing glasses.

Behavior

In the manga, the Karasu-Tengu are friendly and helpful yōkai. In the 2018 anime, they try to live a secretive existence, avoiding to get involved with human fights, or even with other yōkai, until a great danger is coming to befall.

History

1985 Anime

Pre-Series

During the first year of the Ansei Period, hundreds of Karasu-Tengu sealed away the Western akuma Belial after he came to Edo as a Portuguese sailor, creating the great earthquakes of Ansei. Their leader, an elderly tengu, sealed Belial's powers inside a red ball they placed inside the mountains, while Belial was seemingly buried underground.

Series

Karasu-Tengu as the Tengu Police first appear in episode #32 of the third anime adaptation, Watch Out, Kitarō! The Great Yōkai Trial. The first appear to arrest Kitarō for secretly making humans film a yōkai party. They later attend and start the trial, and are ordered by the Dai-Tengu to sentence Kitarō melting in a jar for 500 years! While they bring Kitarō to be melted, he ends up escaping, so one of the members orders the others to search for him, however they're blocked by Nurikabe. In the meantime, he captures Medama-Oyaji and promises that if his friends can't capture Kitarō or find the true culprit, he'll be boiled in place of him. They're last seen here halting their actions and cheering as Kitarō comes back with Momon-Jii. Some Karasu-Tengu reappear in episode #54, Akuma Belial. In this episode, they are first seen in the present in trees near the opening of Sunakake-Babaa's Yōkai Apartments, seeing an S.O.S sign they later report to her, and are last seen in the end reuniting with their former leader. They appear in episode #102, Tomboy Witch Genieya, to rescue the workers of Mt. Osore and fight the Demon King's Minions.

The Great Yōkai War

Karasu-Tengu in The Great Yōkai War.

Powers and Abilities

Wind Manipulation: Almost every Karasu-Tengu is able to manipulate the winds to do his bidding, as carrying and dispelling clouds and poisonous gases and knock objects away.

Flight: Karasu-Tengu are crow yōkai thus they own a pair of raven wings. With them, they are able to fly with great speed and maneuverability.

Levitation: The Karasu-Tengu can levitate, hovering over earth and water. They do so to meditate, but an unskilled, young individual may also fail.

Shingan Kaijōe: The Soul Eyes, ancestral ability of the Karasu-Tengu of Daiten Spring, allows them to see through illusions and find the real weak point of any enemy. It's not an innate ability though, and even if every Karasu Tengu has the potential to master it, it requires years of training and meditation.

Martial Arts Prowess: Traditionally great warriors, the Karasu-Tengu are able to fight. Peaceful at heart, they do it only in times of great need.

Equipment

Fans: Like most Tengu, Karasu-Tengu uses a fan to manipulate the wind.

Rokushakubō: Many Karasu-Tengu especially the Tengu Police officers are equipped with Rokushakubō as the standard weapon.

List of Karasu-Tengu

Tengu Police Kuro-Karasu Higomo Ringorō Koku'unbō

Mt. Kurama Karasu-Tengu Torime Mt. Daisen Karasu-Tengus Elder Karasu-Tengu Kojirō

Legend

Karasu-Tengu, also known as Ko-Tengu (小天狗, lesser Heavenly dogs) are a type of crow-like Tengu found in folklore around Japan. They have the attire of yamabushi, a type of mountain ascetic rooted in folk, Buddhist and Shintō beliefs, and wield stolen fine weapons or other items stolen from human homes or temples.

Karasu-Tengu often live solitary, but amass in groups, sometimes with other yōkai, to accomplish their goals. They trade and collect magical items and go on destructive rampages when enraged. Due to this temper, Karasu-Tengu don't value humans, torturing, murdering, eating, raping, and generally tormenting them, especially monks and nuns. They tend to favor abducting people to drop them from great heights deep into the woods, tying children to the tops of trees so all can hear their screams but none can reach them, and kidnapping people and forcing them eat feces until they go mad. Tengu in general are known to travel through time and space in an instant.

Most Karasu-Tengu are overconfident, so many folktales have them be outwitted by others, trading powerful magical items or giving up valuable information in exchange for worthless trinkets. Some Karasu-Tengu get tricked themselves when trying to trick humans.

One summer, a villager in Saijō, Ehime Prefecture, carried his six-year-old son up Mt. Ishizuchi. When he reached the top of the mountain, he placed the child down to rest for a while, but found that the child was missing. He looked around but couldn't see the child anywhere. Some people came to help look, but even they couldn't find any trace of him. So the villager had no choice but to go home first. But when he entered the house's door, he could hardly believe his eyes. His son was there before him! He was surprised, but also relieved. When asked about what happened, the child said: "When I was resting, I suddenly wanted to pee, so I ran to the ancestral hall on top of the mountain to pee. A big man with a dark face came over and said to me: 'Little guy, you can't pee here casually Where is your home? This old man will take you back. Close your eyes', he said in a very friendly way. When I opened my eyes, I was already standing alone in my yard." The old man was said to be a nice Karasu-Tengu.