Station #12: Under the full moon of late autumn, travelers hurry along the winding road beside the Kise River towards Numazu. The man carries a red long-nosed Sarutahiko mask on his back, a protective charm for those making a pilgrimage to the Kompira Shrine on Shikoku Island. Tengu are mountain goblins that came to be identified with the Shinto deity Sarutahiko. Until the 14th century almost all of the legends connected with tengu had characterized them as evil. Gradually a distinction was made between good and evil tengu. Good goblins became the masters of the bad ones and at times tengu were able to instruct priests in the sacred rites and doctrines. Tengu even became guardians of Buddhist monasteries. By the nineteenth century, tengu had risen high in the ranks of gods of the forest. Offerings were made to pacify them. When children in the country were missing from home, parents or villagers would go into the woods, fervently beating on drums and calling to tengu to aid in the search.

Image Copyright: Minneapolis Institute of Art