Tengu tsume nails

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tengu no tsume 天狗の爪 tengutsume 天狗爪 nails of a Tengu



Various samples are exhibited in temples, shrines and museums.

天狗の爪 - essay by 野間達郎 Noma Tatsuro
The artifacts are same no ha 鮫の歯 teeth of a shark!


Tengu no tsumeishi, tsume-ishi 天狗の爪石
カルカロドン・メガロドン（サメ）の歯化石 fossil of a shark tooth
- reference source : kiseki-jp.com/japanese/museum-

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

In the forest are sometimes nails of a Tengu on the ground, they say.
They are blue-black and rather large. They almost look like stone and the top part is bent, like the claws of a beast.
The local people go searching for them after a strong rainstorm. When put in water, the solution would cure high fever.

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During the times of Tokugawa Ieyasu there came a tengu to a temple, where a strong priest lived. He wanted to fight with him and if he won, would get the right arm of the priest. He won, but he did not cut the arm off, but only borrowed the "strength" of the arm.
After seven days, the Tengu came back and returned the "strength" of the arm. The priest was now strong as before.
To show his gratitude, the Tengu also gave him one of his nails.

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岐阜県 Gifu



三方崩山の天狗の爪跡 Sanbo Kuzureyama with scratches of Tengu nails
岐阜県大野郡白川村 - Gifu, Ono district, Shirakawa
- reference source : hidatakayama.ne.jp/yamagatari -

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石川県 Ishikawa

The Tengu lives in the local mountain and sometimes comes around to visit the villages.
Since the Tengu scratched the mountain ever so often, there are now no trees growing on it.

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京都府 Kyoto

Since about 1715, at the temple 丹州国分寺 Kokubunji in Tanshu (the Tango/Tanba region) they show a statue of Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 and also the nails of a Tengu.

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奈良県 Nara 奈良市 Nara town

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū 柳生新陰流 Yagyu school of swordsmanship


新陰流兵法目録事 Shinkageryu Heiho Mokuroku no Koto




At the shrine 天石立神社 Amanoiwatate Jinja, the famous samurai 柳生 石舟斎 宗厳　Yagyu "Sekishūsai" Munetoshi (1527 - 1606) practised martial arts. Night after night a Tengu was his partner. Once he thought he had cut the Tengu, but when he looked closer the next morning, there was only a huge rock with a cut.
This is the Ittoseki 一刀石.
Scratches of the Tengu's nails 天狗の爪痕 are still seen on the stone to our day -
if you look closely.




. The Yagyu clan and legends　柳生一族と伝説 .

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新潟県 Niigata 佐渡市 Sado town 小木町 Ogimachi

If people scrap some parts from Tengu nails and prepare a tea from it, they will be cured from a cold.

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徳島県 Tokushima

In 阿波国津田山 Tsudayama (Awa no Kuni) there was a strong thunderstorm and many strange things fell from heaven.
Among them was the nail of a Tengu, like the plectrum of a Shamisen, rather purple-black and like a stone.

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富山県 Toyama 東砺波郡 Higashitonami district 福野町 Fukunomachi

At 烏堂の宮 Karasudo ni Miya once they heard the voices of two people struggeling and shouting. Next morning they found nails with blood on them. These are the Nails of a Tengu.

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山形県 Yamagata 北村山郡 Kitamurayama district 大石田町 Oishida

At the temple 向川寺 Kosen-Ji there are some 手まり石 round stones which the Tengu used to play with - once upon a long time.
During daytime the Tengu kept in hiding, but at night they came out and abducted children. People who saw them lost their mind. Next morning they had some scratches of Tengu nails on their body.
Once during a festival a child was abducted and next morning they found scratches of Tengu nails on all over the stem of the Temple pine tree.



There is another story about the Tengu from Kosen-Ji.
One day the mud wall around the temple was broken down at some parts and the priest repaired it. Nest morning the wall was broken again, even if the night had been quiet and no thunderstorm occured.
On another day the paper doors, which had just been repaired, were torn again the next morning.
Eventually the priest understood: If he had talked bad about the Tengu in the neighbourhood, something would happen during the night. Since then, the priest stopped talking lightly of the Tengu and begun to venerate him.

天狗が登り降りしたという大杉には、天狗の爪跡がはっきりついていると伝えられている。また、向川寺に飾られている大きな石には、天狗が握った時についた指の跡がくっきりと残っている。今の時代には考えられない物語である。
向川寺から坂を登って10分位の所に天狗の相撲取り場が今でも残っている。本当に天狗なんて存在したのだろうか。

There is also a children's song about the Tengu
ナンマイダー　ナンマイダー
後ろを見れば　黒滝山
黒滝山は　向川寺
向川寺には　天狗がいる
前を見れば　最上川
最上川には　舟がある
上り下りの　舟がゆく
上り舟には　帆をあげて
下り舟には　米積んで
酒田の港へ　六十里
舟の舳先に　うぐいすが
一匹止まって　ホ　ホケキョウと鳴きました
天狗様くるから　ねろねろや
ねろねろや　ねろねろや

Koosenji 向川寺 Kosen-Ji　/ 黒滝山向川寺 Kurotakiyama Kosen-Ji
Kitamurayama District, Oishida, Yokoyama, 4375
- reference source : abc-yamagata.com/shinkansen/oishida -

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -


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. 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 .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

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