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red japanese nô mask yôkai TENGU

Length 15,5 cm
Compositions ceramic
Product origin made in Japan
Colour red

red japanese nô mask yôkai TENGU
Tengu (天狗, "celestial dog") are a type of legendary creature of Japanese folk religion, and they are also considered to be Shinto gods (kami) or youkai. Although their name contains the word "dog" like the Chinese demon Tiāngǒu, the tengu, originally, took the form of raptors, and they are traditionally represented with characteristics both human and avian. The oldest tengu are depicted with beaks, but this trait has often been humanized into an abnormally long nose, which is currently widely regarded as the defining characteristic of tengu in popular imagination.