"Let dance my children’s
this broken leaf hat will be your heavenly dog costume
and the banana string tie its leaf as bonus money
let dance my children’s "
(poem by Tran Vang Sao)
Mid-Autumn memory of my childhood is the heavenly dog head.
Not too poor as described on the poetry above but not too smooth and gloss as
the current lion dance head *. Mythical creatures image danced in the dim space
under the fire light of bamboo torches, the sound of drum, gong and cymbal,
the smell of sweat and the heat rising from the asphalt coated streets in the fullmoon night, always have a special obsession. I do not remember much
about the details but colourful shapes of stocky head, with much curved horns
and long tail with placement scutes, is difficult to forget.
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| Old style of Vietnamese Heavently dog head (source: khap noi vui hoi trang ram) |
Heavenly dog fixed in my mind like that until Tengu mask
appeared. It also heavenly dog but the Japanese style too strange!
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| The giant Tengu mask in Kasyouzan Miroku-ji (Source:http://superkintaro.tumblr.com/) |
At first, I thought this was a Japanese version of
Pinocchio's because the long nose of this boy has become a symbol of
threatening words for lie actions. But I was wrong; Tengu has a long history,
complex and even contradictory in Japanese mythology. It owned many religious
meaning depend on the religious conceptions and purpose of users.
Tengu is known for the first time in the 6th or 7th century, the same time Buddhism was introduced to Japan. In Japan Buddhist legend, Tengu is a symbol of the fallen monk, the monk is not real learning, arrogant, selfish, willing to violate or abuse the Dharma to do wrong things or to be famous. After death, they are turned into human red face with particularly long nose, called Yamabushi Tengu (source: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/tengu.shtml)
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Over the centuries, Tengu has a lot to change its shape and meaning. Tengu originally appeared in the shape of a bird has man body and crow head. There is a long beak on the small head and large wings with cruel claws on its body. In the form of bird, it is named Karasu Tengu. Tengu is Forest’s God, the God like kidnap adults and children; he can fire and catch those who destroy forest. The people will be released after that, but they do not remember anything anymore, Japanese call them "Tengu Kakushi" - haunted by ghost people. Over time, thinking of the mythical Tengu shifted toward more personalization, Tengu become shaped like a human being with long nose on face as described and called Yamabushi Tengu. Tengu become gods who protect the works of Japanese men in this role.
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| Masks of Yamabushi Tengu and Karasu Tengu at Yakuoin Temple (near byTokyo) |
A legend in Kujiki (old writting) told that Tengu original is Japanese god
Susano-O (or Susanowo) - god of the seas and storms. He was the son of the god
Izanagi and Izanami, later he became the spouse of the Sun goddess Amaterasu
(by: http://www.thetengu.com/tengu/). He born Amanozako, a goddess has much
similar to the earliest description of Tengu. So we can also think that
Amanozako is the pedigree of Tengu today. The inconsistency here is that most
of the stories about the Tengu are described them as men. Female Tengu never
been mentioned.
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| A Tengu mask in a temple on the top of Miyajima mountain (source: http://ojisanjake.blogspot.com/2008/10/tengu-mask.html#.V1bMVtmLTIV) |
Tengu not like arrogant and selfish man, but their
reputations were arrogant, revengeful and very easy offended. In spite of the
fact that they like quite solitary and peaceful life, Tengu enjoy interfere into human society. Tengu are masters in the art of transformation. Like many other
species of demon, they prefer to use this ability to tease and cheat people.
Most obviously, Tengu pretend to become hermit or monk to do some tricks. But
unlike many other demons, Tengu rarely kill people to. The above main
characteristics making them sometimes associated with images of war. According
to legend, Tangu are master of fighting techniques. Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経), a famous warrior in late Heian period, is an
excellent swordsman due to learn advance techniques from Sojobo (King of
Tengu).
In the collection works, not every effort has god results. The
good luck is considered that easy to bring more achievements. My first Tengu
mask was collected in Taiwan, not Japan, a short one hour before the flight
back to Saigon after a week of traveling from Taipei down to Kaohsiung, enough
for me to have my dream mask. Truly amazing and incredibly interesting that at
Kaohsiung airport, far below the southern of Taiwan has a souvenir shop that
sells Japanese goods. I'm really lucky with Tengu mask below; it is the only
and last remaining of this shop.
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| Yamabushi Tengu mask, collected in Kaoshiung on 1st of June, 2008. |
The second Tengu mask is the result of a hunting trip, not
random anymore. I was determined to get a Japanese Tengu on a business trip in
Osaka three years ago. My friends in Osaka did not know how to find a Tengu there;
I have to go to Kyoto to get my dream Tengu. But it is a bit disappointed
because this mask is too simple, it is paper mache, painted and simply drawn.
Look closely, it has strong in Japanese characters, that maybe the beauty of
simplicity in accordance with the spirit of ancient Japan.
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| Paper mache Tengu mask collected in Kyoto on July 2010 |
Japanese Tengu, Vietnamese Thien Cau comes from the
legendary Tiangu (T'ien Kou), a China original. Described as a big dog with a
long fired tail like a comet in heaven, Tiangu in Chinese folk concept related
to child's illness and astronomical phenomena. Tiangu feed itself by down to
earth and looking for kids to eat, if it does not have kids it will eat adults
and if not find the man, it will return to eat moon on the sky. When T'ien Kou
eat the moon (or the sun), the lunar eclipse (or eclipse) phenomenon was
appeared. Tiangu in Chinese legends often related to bad portents,
"Thien Cau khi Nhat" (dog bullying the Sun) is a portend sign.
"Thien Cau ha thuc" (dog come down for food) is a bad moment in
Chinese astrology.
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| Left: T'ien Kou, Shan Hai Jing, 4th BC. Right: Zhang Tianshi shot to T'ien Kou to drive away the lunar eclipse, folk paintings. |
In Vietnam, the symbolisms of Heavenly Dog have both good
and bad characters. Tiangu dance, originating from China is good
character, that is the way Vietnamese gratitude "celestial dog" in
protecting villages, exorcise and wish good weather for a thriving season.
Thiên cẩu song tinh an Cấn thổ /Tử vi lưỡng tướng định Khôn thân. (Roughly
translated: Two T'ien Kou stars keep the Can direction peaceful / Two figures
of horoscopes keep the Khon direction stable). It should be pointed northeast
by Can direction and southwest by Khon direction. They are the two main
directions of the Bridge Pagoda which is protected by two Heavenly Dogs. The
dogs bring peaceful for the bridge or the land.
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| Bridge Pagoda now a day |
Plant a tree called "Neu" in the new year even of
Vietnamese traditional is a legendary way to show how the Vietnamese prevent
bad character of Tiangu (see more at: http://www.truyenviet.com/133-truyen-co-tich/co-tich-viet-nam/9057-s-tich-cay-neu-ngay-tt?start=1).
In the sense of comparison, Tengu Japanese went too far Tiangu original: it seems to be more bird than dog. No one could explain
this and people accept it as a default. Try to explain the origin and meaning
of mythology seems that "do not go far", remember that myth / legend
is the product of primitive times, the product of this time is the invariant
root of all the stories, but the way people behave with the gods in the story
would change according to the thinking of the times they live. How to treat a
divine reflects the thinking of people in their living time. In behaviour, the
Japanese do not profane the Holy Spirit; they respect their gods but not
blindly. Are we? See what appeared at the festivals. It seems the Vietnamese
respect themselves, but blind to the Gods power!
Note:
(*) In the past, people in Hue city call lion dance is T'ien Kou dance, lion dance with the lions like today, is known for the famous royal dances named "lân mẫu xuất lân nhi" (mother lion born baby lion) .
