Today we are looking at another tengu yokai. This one is a bit different than Sojobo and the other tengu you see on yokai.com for a few reasons: she is a female, she is a god, she has a son. Her nicknames reveal how rare those things are: metengu (woman tengu) and tengu kami (tengu god) refer specifically to her; i.e. there aren’t really other female tengu or tengu gods besides her.

I also think she is interesting because while most tengu are considered to be malicious demons lurking in the forests, she is actually revered as a goddess. While it isn’t terribly uncommon to see shrines dedicated to tengu or small tengu cults (think of Sojobo from a few days ago), Amanozako’s story is special in that she interacts with the other gods in heaven. Her myths are not self-contained stories, but play off of the larger pantheon. She was supposedly born out of a chunk of spit and gall that the temperamental storm god, Susanoo, vomited up. Most tengu don’t have that as a claim to fame!

And the fact that there aren’t other female tengu is notable as well. The long tengu nose is often considered to be a phallic symbol, and that may be a reason why most tengu are depicted as men. But for the tengu god to be a female is interesting! Not only that, but she bore her son without the need of a male partner. Truly a powerful woman!

Read more about her on yokai.com, and pick up a copy of The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits to always have her on your bookshelf!