Index-Glossary_Tengu_thru

Ukiyo-e Prints

浮世絵版画

Port Townsend, Washington

INDEX/GLOSSARY

Tengu thru Tsuzumi

The Halloween witch head is being used to mark

additions made to this page in November 2008.

TERMS FOUND ON THIS PAGE:

Tengu, Tenshukaku, Tessen, The Theatrical World of Osaka Prints,

Time Present and Time Past: Images of a Forgotten Master: Toyoharu Kunichika 1835-1900,

Toko, Tokyo, Tombo, Tomo-e, Tomyodai, Tonda chagama, Torii, Tōrōbin, Toshidama,

Toshikoshi soba, Tōuchiwa, Toyohara Kunichika, Tsuba, Tsubaki, Tsubone mise,

Tsuchigumo, Tsuitate, Tsuji-gimi, Tsuka, Tsukimi, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Tsuno,

Tsunokakushi, Tsuru, Tsuru, Tsuru-bishi, Tsurugi, Tsurukusa, Tsuruya Kokei,

Tsuruya Namboku V, Tsuyukusa and Tsuzumi

天狗, 天守閣, 鉄線, 独鈷, 東京, 蜻蛉, 巴, 灯明台, とんだ茶釜, 鳥居, 酉の市, 燈籠鬢,

年玉, 年越蕎麦, 唐団扇, 豊原国周, 鍔, 椿, 局見世, 土蜘, 衝立, 辻君, 柄, 月見, 月岡芳年,

角, 角隠し, 吊り枝, 鶴, 弦, 鶴菱, 剣, 蔓草, 弦屋光渓, 鶴屋南北, 艶墨, 露草

and 鼓

てんぐ, てんしゅかく, てっせん, とこ, とうきょう, とんぼ, ともえ,

etc.

TERM/NAME	KANJI/KANA	DESCRIPTION/ DEFINITION/ CATEGORY Click on the light green numbers to go to linked pages.
Tengu	天狗てんぐ	A long nosed fantastic goblin-like creature. The image to the left was sent to us by E. our generous contributor. It is a detail from the left hand page of a Hokusai book called the Ehon Wakan homare ( 絵本和漢誉 or えほんわかんほまれ). Thanks E! In the section on tengu in Asian Mythologies by Yves Bonnefoy (p, 287) it is noted that in the Taiheiki the yamabushi Unkei visits a gathering of tengu on Mt. Atago (愛宕山 or あたごやま) where they are "...deliberating the fate of the world." The "...tengu... were thought to be able to tell the future and influence the course of the world." Another quote from the same source: "With a most original point of view, Tsuda Sōkichi holds that demons, and particularly the tengu, were supposed to have power only over monks who were negligent in Buddhist discipline or services." U. A. Casal in his "Lore of the Japanese Fan" notes that among other traits the tengu are "...outspokenly phallic." The image of the carving shown to the left makes this abundantly obvious.. (Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 16, no. 1/2, 1960, p. 58) *Below is a rare, rare, rare image of the birth of a baby tengu. Unfortunately it doesn't do anything to resolve that age old question - "Which came first the tengu* or the egg?"**
"In medieval literature they appear prominently as one of the most sinister enemies of Buddhism. They sow seeds of pride in the hearts of those treading the path towards Buddhist illumination. They cause mysterious conflagrations in Buddhist temples. They carry off priests engaged in pious exercises and tie them to the tops of trees." Quoted from: "Supernatural Abductions in Japanese Folklore", by Carmen Blacker, published by Nanzan University, Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2, 1967, p. 116. "The favorite disguise of the goblin [i.e., tengu] was the distinctive garb of the sect of mountain ascetics known as yamabushi [山伏 or やまぶし]." Remember: yamabushi is generally translated as mountain priest or Buddhist monk. (Ibid.) Dr. M. W. de Visser in his article "The Tengu" (published in the Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, 1908, p. 25) at the very first mentions the number of famous authors and scholars who took the existence of tengu as a given fact - or apparently so. "Even the famous Shintō reformer Hirata Atsutane [1776-1843: 平田篤胤 or ひらたあつたね] and the learned novelist Kyokutei Bakin [1767-1848: 曲亭馬琴 or きょくていばきん] made a deep study of this subject." But there were others: Hayashi Razan [1583-1657: 林羅山 or はやしらざん] , the Buddhist priest Teinin [ていねん], Ogyū Sorai [1666- 1728: 荻生徂徠 or おぎゅうそらい] and Hiraga Gennai [1728?-1779: 平賀源内 or ひらかげんない]. "By far the clearest and most profound of all the older writers on this subject is Bakin himself." In fact, he was disdainful of the writings of the others. [However, that seems to have been one of his personality traits. He was contemptuous of the scholarship of several of his literary peers.] Carmen Blacker relates many stories of abductions where the child eventually returns only to be found on a rooftop or in nearly inaccessible rafters. After their return most of these children have diminished mental capacities. De Visser recounts an almost identical story of a ten year old Chinese boy living during the T'ang Dynasty (618-907) who is swept away by a fish-eagle from a celebration at a Buddhist temple. When he reappears he is lying atop a tall pagoda and tells of visiting strange places and eating unusual foods. (de Visser, pp. 30-31) During the 17th century 10 other Chinese boys said they met a man with tangled hair, wings on his back, a beak and a tongue so long that hung down over his stomach. (de Visser, p. 31) There is also a 4th century description of "...a kind of demon in bird shape, who, just as the Japanese Tengu, can change himself into a man..." and set aflame the houses of men who try to harm him. (de Visser, p. 32) ¶ De Visser makes clear that the tengu are closely related to the folktales of the Celestial Dog of China. It streaks through the skies, booms thunderously and brings on conflicts between men. He also notes that comets and meteors are often thought to be demons bringing calamities to many different cultures as reported by Frazer in his Golden Bough. ¶ The oldest account of this phenomenon is mentioned in the Nihongi of 720. It was said to have occurred in 637. A Buddhist priest declared that a shooting star was actually the Celestial Dog howling like thunder. (de Visser,, p. 34) The point de Visser is making is that it took a Buddhist priest from China to inform the Japanese who did not know the reason of such things prior to that time. (p. 35) "But there is still more we can learn from the simple words of the Nihongi. At the side of the characters 天狗, 'Celestial Dog,' we find kana, reading 'Ama tsu kutsune' or 'Celestial Fox.' Now the latter is also known as a Chinese demon." (Ibid.) [I know, I know, it's a fox and not a tengu, but we should be able to clear this up eventually.] ¶ In 1446 an encyclopedic work was published which said that Celestial Dog and Foxes are often confused in the literature. "Hirata... points out the great resemblance between the Chinese legends about the Celestial Fox and what the Japanese call about their Tengu." (p. 36) Asikawa Zenan (1781-1849: 朝川善庵 or あさかわぜんあん) said that he knew of three images of a small tengu riding atop a fox. Japanese tengu and Chinese foxes both can take the shape of a Buddha, burn houses, know intimately what is happening both near and far at the same time and take over possession of human bodies. And like certain Chinese werefoxes which possess a special pearl "...whoever becomes a Great Tengu gets a pearl, red as agate. If one holds this pearl before his eyes or ears, he can see or hear all that happens in the three thousand worlds." (p. 37) By the 12th century the Japanese were completely mixing up the lore of the Celestial Fox or Dog with that of the tengu. The first actual mention of a 'real' tengu came in the 10th century in the Utsubo Monogatari (宇津保物語 or うつほものがたり) or 'The Tale of the Hollow Tree'. "This story shows clearly that in those early days the Tengu was considered as a mountain demon, who deluded people and decoyed them into the depths of the wood." (p. 38) In this case the tengu was disguised as a beautiful young woman playing expertly on a koto. The next mention came in the Konjaku Monogatari (今昔物語 or こんじゃくものがたり) of 1077. There are quite a few stories of tengu in the Konjaku. In the first one a tengu hears the singing of a Buddhist text coming from the ocean and is determined to put a stop to it. He follows it to its source which is a stream flowing down Mt. Hiezan in Japan. It is guarded by the Four Kings of Heaven and acts as a privy for a sect of Tendai monks. The tengu is so impressed that he decides to take human form and become a priest. In time he rises in the ranks as a devout follower of Buddha. [We will be adding much more information soon!] The second story tells of a Chinese tengu traveling to Japan to see if the Buddhist priests are as easy to fool there as they are at home. The tengu finds a much tougher crowd - is this a nationalistic comment? - is thwartted by a powerful bishop, beaten by boys and sent a packing in humiliation. The third story tells of the miraculous appearance of a Buddha in kaki tree near Kyōto. Crowds of visitors came to witness the Buddha who gave off a brilliant light and rained flowers constantly from the sky. However, one shrewd court minister thought it might be a trick being played by tengu. The minister knew that no tengu could keep up his powers of black magic for more than a week so he went to visit the site on the last day and had the crowds removed. The minister stared at the visitation until finally it fell exhausted to the ground as a large bird with broken wings whereupon a little boy then kicked it to death. In the sixth story - even de Visser doesn't give a synopsis of them all - a tengu tries to tempt a Buddhist priest by taking possession of a beautiful woman. She, i.e., the tengu, is relentless. Finally in desperation the priest implores Fudō Myōō to help him. After Fudō wrangled the possessed woman with his rope she began spinning like a top, bumping into temple pillars. The injured tengu cried out for mercy through the woman's mouth. Compassionately Fudō releases his captive and the grateful tengu leaves the body of the woman who runs away never to bother the priest again. In another case a tengu in the guise of an Amida Butsu appears before a devout elderly priest and his junior monks. The tengu who has surrounded himself with all of the accoutrements of celestial buddhahood - the lotus throne, the five glorious colors, Bodhisattvas, angels, blinding light - sweeps down and carries off the elderly priest supposedly with the intent of taking him to the Western Paradise. Several days later and some distance from the abduction a priest was walking through the woods and heard moaning and groaning. He looked up and saw the naked form of the elderly priest tied near the top of tree. He climbed up and rescued the old man only to be scolded by him. The devout priest had been told by the tengu/Amida to wait there as part of his journey to paradise. "The bewitched priest was raving mad and died after a few days. He had been deceived by Tengu because he had no knowledge and did not understand the difference between the work of demons and the world of... [Buddhist principles]." The point: Tengu are nettlesome creatures which are often at war with Buddhists. They disguise themselves as bonzes, nuns, bishops and even Buddhas to trick the most gullible - especially among the clergy. Defense: A knowledge of the true ways of the Buddha will be your best protection. By the 12th and 13th centuries the tengu had branched out mischievously to torment members of the Imperial Court and the Court was fighting back, but not always successfully. (de Visser, pp. 44-5) "As in the Chinese story of the Konjaku monogatari, this Tengu is an angry ghost of a priest, who probably had suffered some wrong from the Throne and had died in anger." (p. 45) But the struggle between the tengu and the Buddhist clergy didn't let up. Occasionally wayward priests came back as one of those foul smelling tengu after he died. "In these legends we read for the first time about the Tengu-road, as one of the punishments of hell for vain and hypocritical priests." (p. 46) In many cases humans only seem to be possessed by tengu to act as vehicles for dead priests. In the story of Yoshitsune, the hero of the Battle of Dannoura in 1185 when the Minamoto beat the Taira, he is said to have been taught in martial skills by the tengu. How else could he have performed so remarkably? Do you have a better explanation? Numerous stories about the travails of the 77th Japanese emperor, Go-Shirakawa (1156-58: 後白河 or ごしらかわ) refer to vengeful relatives who torment him as ghosts/tengu. (pp. 49-50) But Shirakawa was not immune to the same issues: "The Gukwanshō [1220-25: 愚管抄 or ぐくわんしょう] contains the following story: - In the year 1196 the ghost of the Emperor Go Shirakawa , who died four years before, possessed two women and a priest, through whose mouth he spoke and ordered the people to worship him." The 82nd ruling emperor Go Toba [1183-98: 後鳥羽 or ごとば] exiled the first two, but when the order was repeated again he began to think that it just might be the late emperor's ghost speaking. Just as he was about to follow the dictate he received a letter from a bishop who told him that it was more likely the work of a fox or tengu. As everyone knows those creatures love being worshipped. The bishop noted that many people in the capital had already started worshipping the dead emperor in anticipation that the living one would do the same. The bishop pointed out that if Go Toba went ahead with his plans he would join "...all kinds of low people... [like] such fools as miko, kannagi [巫 or かんなぎ] (female sorcerers) and dancers of the saru-gaku (monkey-dance). If such things happen, the world will come to an end." Whew! Fortunately Go Toba took the bishop's advice - and the world didn't end. (de Visser, p. 50) When Shirakawa's in 1184 the tengu were blamed. (p. 51) In another case Shirakawa is told that about 90% of contemporary priests fail to follow the way of the Buddha properly and therefore are apt to take the tengu-road. (p. 52) That is a lot of errant priests and hence proto-tengu. "Proud Nuns become Nun-Tengu, the priests Priest-Tengu. Although their faces are those of Tengu, their heads are those of nuns or priests, and although they have wings at the arms, yet they wear something like a dress and around their shoulders hang scarves (kesa). When ordinary men, who are proud, become Tengu, they have Tengu faces, but on their heads wear the eboshi (a cap formerly worn by nobles..." etc. When women became tengu among other habits they continued was tooth blackening. [See our entry on ohaguro.] By this period tengu has taken on new skills in the telling; Incendiarism and the full capacity to know both the history going back 100 years and a clear view of the future for the same length of time. Another new phase was the abduction of children with no purpose other than to distress the parents. Generally the children are returned much the worse for their adventure. Ill and near death the tengu had fed the children what they convinced them were treats but in fact were nothing more than dung. (p. 57) [In Paris once I ordered andouille. The waiter tried to dissuade me, but I persisted. Ate a little bit and now know how the abducted children must have felt. And to think there were no tengu dining with me. Only Angela.] ¶ Now, I think I already mentioned the fact that Buddhist priest could come back as tengu. However, what I haven't mentioned is that there are 'good' demons and bad ones. Priests who were proud and ambitious and didn't really follow the way of Buddha would come back as the bad ones. The ones who erred in the same way, but still believed in the Buddhist scriptures came back as good one, i.e., good tengu priests, who would continue to study the way and act as protectors of Buddha. (pp. 59-60) In the Genpei Seisuki (源平盛衰記 or げんぺいせいすき) the god of Sumiyoshi appears before the retired emperor Go Shirakawa that he difficulties with the Hieizan priests is actually the fault of heavenly devils or temma (天魔 or てんま). When asked about the nature of these devils the god gives quite a listing. Among these are priests with great learning who become great tengu and of those of lesser knowledge small tengu. Those with no knowledge or understanding go on the animal-road or chikushōdō (畜生道 or ちくしやうだう) after death. [Chikushōdō can also mean incest.] They come back as horses or cows and are beaten every day. The god continued: "In the middle ages there lived in Japan a bishop whose name was Kakimoto no Ki, a pupil of Kōbō Daishi. He was also an intimate friend and nearly his equal. But he grew proud of being the possessor of the Great Law and became the first Great Tengu of Japan, Tarōbō of Atago-san. As there are many proud men in the world, a great number became Tengu, and on all the mountain peaks of the country, twenty, thirty, fifty, a hundred or two hundred of them are assembled." [Kakimoto = 桓本 or かきもと: Kōbō Daishi = 弘法大師 or こうぼうだいし:Tarōbō = 太郎坊 or たろうぼう: Atago-san = 愛宕山 or あたご] The image shown above is a detail from a print by Kunisada showing Tarōbō as both priest and tengu as displayed on a hanging scroll. (de Visser, pp. 51-3) Notice the kongōsho or double vajra he is holding in his left hand. In the early 14th century Yoshino shūi (吉野拾遺 or よしのしゅうい) the long nosed tengu makes its first appearance. "Formerly they were always described as having kite's beaks. No doubt the long nose is only a hunanized bird's bill. As is very often the case with animal-shaped gods and demons, there is a general tendency toward taking the human body. First of all the Tengu were kites, then they became men with the head of a kite, thereupon they had only a kite's beak, till at last the latter changed into a long nose." (p. 61) 3 mountains known for their concentration of tengu are Atago, Ōtake and Kimpusen. (p. 64) One of the repetitive themes of tengu life was that of a gathering where they would drink balls of red hot iron, writhe in agony, burn up into a pile of ashes and then after a short period be reconstituted only to continue their original activities. Hollywood could do no better than that. Also, many of the stories of strife and warfare are explained as being provoked and promoted by tengu who by this time are the vengeful spirits, i.e., of famous men. There is less emphasis on anti-Buddhist activities although monastery or temple fires are almost always blamed on tengu - they couldn't possibly be an accident or arson caused by a mortal. Losses on the battlefield were clearly caused by tengu armies in disguise. De Visser tells us that in the Ainoshō (埃嚢鈔 or あいのうしょう) of 1446 it states that "...all distinguished officials and priests become Tengu on account of their proud hearts." (p. 67) On a totally different matter: One theme seems to pop up again and again and that is the rivalry between the Buddhist monks of Hieizan and Miidera. For example, when two boys disappeared (p. 68) from Miidera the monks at Hieizan were blamed when in fact it was the - you guessed it - tengu. But that is only one theme. There are plenty more where that one came from. Too numerous to list. In the 17th century a story about Tarōbō of Mt. Atago appears in the Honchō Jinjakō (本朝神社考 or ほんちょうじんじゃこう): "Hosokawa no Katsumoto [細川勝元 or ほそかわかつもと] (1430-1473), who had no children, prayed on Atago-yama to the Great Tengu Tarōbō for a son. His prayer was heard, and Masamoto [政元 or まさもと] (1466-1507) was born. This son, who was a Tengu, became kwanryo (first minister of the Shōgun) in 1494, and having been murdered in 1507, caused a curse after his death. In order to smooth down the Tengu ghost a temple was built in his honor." (p. 70) As I am sure you must realize by now this story is based on the lives of real people. Sibling rivalries between Masamoto's three adopted sons was the cause of his death - unless, of course, you are inclined to think it was tengu doings.

Tenshukaku	天守閣てんしゅかく	The main castle tower or donjon. The image at the left comes from a 1928 print by Hiroshi Yoshida (吉田博 or よしだ.ひろし) of Himeji Castle (姫路城 or ひめじ.しろ).
Tessen	鉄線てっせん	The passion flower or clematis was used as a family crest for several families "...on the basis of its beauty alone..." "The inner disc of the blossom resembles a chrysanthemum, a likeness which Japanese draftsmen high-lighted in many of their versions of this motif." Quotes from: The Elements of Japanese Design, by John W. Dower, pp. 66. We have added two photos of the tessen provided generously by Shu Suehiro at http://www.botanic.jp/index.htm.
The Theatrical World of Osaka Prints: A Collection of 18th & 19th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints in the Philadelphia Museum of Art		This is an excellent volume published in 1973. It was catalogued by Roger Keyes and Keiko Mizushima. While there isn't much color there is an extensive listing of artists, signature and actors and an informative text and should be on the shelf of any serious collector, student or scholar. 1, 2
Time Present and Time Past: Images of a Forgotten Master: Toyoharu Kunichika 1835-1900		Not only is this the best book I know of on this late nineteenth century artist, but it also has three excellent appendices at the back. The first one is devoted to Kunichika signatures and seals, but the second and third are of more general interest to collectors and scholars of that period because the author gives large, clearly illustrated images of 19 publishers' seals and those of numerous carvers. Author: Amy Reigle Newland. Publisher: Hotei. Date: 1999.
Toko	独鈷とこ	Another term for the kongosho, i.e., the vajra, a symbol of esoteric Buddhism associated with the aspect of karma.
At the beginning of chapter 5 of "The Tale of Genji" the young prince has been ailing with a persistent fever. He is told of "...a remarkable ascetic at a Temple in the Northern Hills..." who cured numerous people the previous year when everything else failed. Genji sent for him but the ascetic said he was too old to leave his cave. So, Genji went to him. After a short visit, as they are about to part, His Reverence "...gave Genji a single-pointed vajra, to protect him." Source and quotes from: The Tale of Genji, translated by Royall Tyler, vol. 1, p. 92. *Tyler notes in footnote 34 that the vajra* is also "...a symbol of supreme insight."**

Tokyō	東京とうきょう	Prior to 1868 Tokyo was known as Edo. It had been the site chosen in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu to be the center of the shogunate while the Imperial capital remained in Kyoto. 1868 was also the year that the Meiji emperor moved to Tokyo creating a unified power base. 東 means 'eastern' and 京 means 'capital'.
Tombo	蜻蛉とんぼ	Dragonfly motif: During the feudal period this crest or a variation on it was very popular with warriors. Often it could be found on arrow quivers because the dragonfly was known as the 'victory insect'. Source: The Elements of Japanese Design, by John W. Dower, p. 94. Tombo photographed by Kumon "A design of dragonflies adorned the undergarments of fighting men, in the belief that the wearer would be victorious and lucky." It often adorned the garments and things used by little boys and came to be seen as a symbol of manliness. Source and quotes: Mock Joya's Things Japanese (p. 123) In the Kojiki is a story of the Emperor Yuryaku (雄略天皇 or ゆうりゃく.てんのう). Right after being bitten by a horsefly the Emperor saw a dragonfly kill his attacker. "...the Emperor was much pleased, and said, 'The insect thinks of me, and I will name the country Akitsu.' Akitsu (あきつ) is an ancient term for dragonfly. (Ibid., p. 651). All of the photos posted above and below are shown at http://commons.wikimedia.org/ and are displayed courtesy of their photographers. Make sure that you note that these are not definitely, absolutely and convincingly Japanese dragonflies, but they get close - otherwise I wouldn't have posted them.
"The dragonfly, an emblem of the country, was also known as katsumushi [勝虫 or かつむし] (the invincible insect), a favorite symbol of strength among Japanese warriors. During the seventeenth-century Tokugawa shogunate period, dragonflies were used as a motif for decorations on warriors helmets." Quoted from: A Dazzle of Dragonflies, by Forrest Lee Mitchell and James Laswell, Texas A & M University Press, 2005, p. 30. Meadowhawk photographed by Regular Daddy "The ancient names akitsu and akitsu-mushi both mean 'autumn insect' and are still used to refer to all dragonflies of Japan. Although dragonflies fly throughout the summer months in Japan, they appear in great numbers in autumn, especially the red-colored Sympetrum species (meadowhawks), the ones most commonly written about in Japanese poetry. The colloquial name aka-tombo [赤蜻蛉 or あかとんぼ]... is actually used for many different species of red dragonflies found in Japan, including Sympetrum species." (Ibid., p. 31) Mitchell and Laswell cite Lafcadio Hearn's delineates various categories of dragonflies in A Japanese Miscellany: There is the Mugiwara-tombo (麦藁蜻蛉 or むぎわらとんぼ) or Wheat-straw dragonfly "...is a colloquial name used for the immature male and female Orthetrum albistylum speciosum"; the Shiokara-tombo (塩辛蜻蛉 or しおからとんぼ) or Salt-fish dragonfly - the adult male's tail looks like it was dipped in salt. (Ibid.) The Shōrai-tombo (しょうらいとんぼ) or Dragonfly of the Dead, scientifically identified as the Pantala flavescens. It is also called the Bon-tombo because these dragonflies appear in the great numbers around the time of the Festival of the Dead, i.e. August 15th today. These dragonflies were believed to be the vehicles ridden by the spirits of the dead which return to their former homes. It is also referred to as the Wandering Glider. *Dragonfly of the Dead (Pantala flavescens) photographed by Dr. John C. Abbott* "...there is a tradition that the Emperor Jimmu, some twenty-six hundred years ago, ascended a mountain to gaze over the province of Yamato, and observed to those who accompanied him that the configuration of the land was like a dragon-fly licking its tail. Because of this august observation the province of Yamato came to be known as the land of the Dragon-Fly... And the Dragon-Fly, remains an emblem of the Empire even to this day." Quoted from: The Writings of Lafcadio Hearn, by Lafcadio Hearn and Elizabeth Bisland, published by Houghton Mifflin, 1922, p. 241 Hearn lists 32 kinds of dragonflies. One of the more interesting - from my point of view - is number 15, the "Ki-yamma [基山 or きやま] (goblin dragon-fly). Also called 'Ki-Emma' - 'Emma' or 'Yemma,' being the name of the King of Death and Judge of the Souls." #17 is the ghost dragonfly or Yurei-tombo (幽霊蜻蛉 or ゆうれいとんぼ). Hearn's #18 is "Kané-tsuké-tombō, O-haguro-tombō. Either name refers to the preparation formerly used to blacken the teeth of married women, and might be freely rendered as 'tooth-blackening dragon-fly.' " [As I live and learn, another reference to tooth blackening. For more go to our entry on ohaguro.] Hearn continued: "Kané wo tsukéru signified to apply, or, more literally, to wear the stuff: thus the appellation kané-tsuké-tombō might be interpreted as 'the kané-stained dragon-fly.' The wings of the insect are half-black, and look as if they had been partly dipped in ink." #20 is the Yanagi-jorō (やなぎじょうろう?) or spirit - or lady - of the weeping willow dragonfly. (p. 245) During the Festival of the Dead children are forbidden from disturbing dragonflies since they are the steeds of deceased souls. (p. 247) There are long established conventions, according to Hearn, for painting and poetry. "...for example, the nightingale should be mentioned, or portrayed, with the plum-tree; the sparrow, with the bamboo; the cuckoo, with the moon; frogs, with rain; the butterfly, with flowers; the bat, with the willow-tree. Every Japanese child knows something about these regulations. Now, it so happens that no such relations have been clearly fixed for the dragon-fly in tanka-poetry..." (pp. 251-2) Hearn notes that the dragonfly is limited to certain types of poetry and is almost never mention in love poems because it is such a silent creature. This noiselessness also sets it apart in tanka from insects such as crickets. Haiku is another story altogether and Hearn gives numerous examples. Hearn also notes references to angel-like wings or its ability to reverse directions in a flash which gives us the modern Japanese word for somersault: Tonbogaeri (蜻蛉返り or とんぼがえり) which the author calls dragon-fly-turning. (p. 259)

Tomo-e	巴ともえ	The origin of this motif is obscure and unknowable. Was it borrowed from another culture or did it spring up independently? Some forms seem a little to simple not to have occurred to different peoples in different times. Translated by several sources as a 'huge comma design'. Dower says Yorisuke Numata, an expert on Japanese heraldry "...emerged...as a design...being a picture (e) of a leather guard worn on the left wrist by archers to receive the impact of the bowstring after it had been released..." In fact the wrist guard is called a tomo but is written with a differnt character altogether, 鞆. Source and quote: The Elements of Japanese Design, by John W. Dower, p. 145. The use of color is my own. If I have broken some kind of taboo I apologize. Just let me know. "Tile fragments excavated from the site of Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle, constructed 1576-1579, include eave-edge tiles with tornoe 巴, or comma, motif antefixes inlaid with gold." [An antefix is a "carved ornament at the eaves of a tile roof concealing the joints between tiles".] Quoted from: "Edo Architecture and Tokugawa Law", by William H. Coaldrake, Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 36, No. 3. (Autumn, 1981), footnote 55, p. 255. Gold inlay on eaves and ridge tiles was a typical feature of Momoyama and early Edo-period architecture, used as a means of enhancing the splendor of buildings by highlighting the profile of the roof." (Ibid.)
Tomyodai	灯明台とうみょうだい	Literally a stand for the light offered to the gods. A special type of temple lighting
Tonda chagama	とんだ茶釜	The flying teakettle ceremony: Because of punning words plays the flying teakettle became an allusion to a sexually attractive woman. "...Ota Nampo relates a saying current in Edo about the second month of 1770: 'The tea ceremony kettle flew away and turned into a common teakettle' (Tonda chagama ga yakan nito baketa)." This may have been a reference to the elopement of Osen, a great teahouse beauty, who left her father to run his business without her. Quoted from: The Actor's Image: Print Makers of the Katsukawa School, Timothy Clark, Osamu Ueda and Donald Jenkins, Princeton University Press, 1994, p. 78.
Torii	鳥居とりい	The Shinto shrine archway found at the entrance. Torii is one of those words which has entered the English language as is. There are words which you might look up in a dictionary and you find the word itself in the definition. Well, torii is one of those words. In one of the best known early myths is the story of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, who shut herself up within a cave depriving the world of light. "...a cock sat outside crowing for her to come forth. According to some scholars, the distinctive Shinto gateway represents the perch on which the cock sat, while the straw rope often strung across the gateway was used to keep the goddess from reentering the cave once she had been enticed forth... The ideographs with which torii is written literally mean 'bird reside,' which seems to lend etymological support to this theory." Source and quote from: The Elements of Japanese Design, by John W. Dower, p. 124.
Tori no ichi	酉の市とりのいち	"An annual fair held at Ōtori shrines during November on the days of the cock (one of the 12 signs of the zodiac.)" These shrines "...are dedicated to Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, a deity of war; today the shrines are worshiped by merchants praying for good fortune. The chief feature of the fair is the sale of bamboo rakes decorated with good-luck symbols: ornaments representing gold coins, cranes and tortoises, pine trees, figures of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune...etc. The rakes are believed to rake in good forturne." Source and quotes: Dictionary Japanese Culture, by Setsuko Kojima and Gene A. Crane, Heian International, Inc., 1991, p. 364. *Yamato Takeru no Mikoto is one of the gods mentioned in the Kojiki, Japanese oldest work of written literature.* The rakes sold at the shrines are called kumade (熊手 or くまで). Mock Joya says that "Once you buy kunmade you have to buy it every year to ensure your good fortune. Not only this, but the kumade you get must be larger every year." This was a practice started by merchants in the Edo region. Since it was unseemly for members of the samurai class to purchase such items they sent others to do it for them. The tori no ichi celebrations take place at least twice every November, but sometimes three 'cock days' can fall within a month. Having three such propitious days meant that there would be greater prosperity, but also a greater number of fires "...because prosperity makes the people careless." Source and quotes: Mock Joya's Things Japanese (p. 402-3) Kumade, the Japanese word for rake, is made up of two characters meaning 'bear' and 'hand' - 熊 and 手. *The two detailed images to the left are from a print by Toyokuni III showing a fellow carrying a decorated kumade* in a procession wending its way to an Ōtori shrine.**
Tōrōbin	燈籠鬢とうろうびん	*A hair style "...called lantern locks (tōrōbin), in which the side locks were combed outward to resemble the silhouette of a paper lantern, had just become the rage [in ca. 1775]."* Quote from: The Actor's Image: Print Makers of the Katsukawa School, Timothy Clark, Osamu Ueda and Donald Jenkins, Princeton University Press, 1994, p. 214. This style of sweeping the hair back and out from the bottom of the ear originated in the Kansai district which includes the areas around Osaka and Kyoto. Source: The Actor's Image: Print Makers of the Katsukawa School, Timothy Clark, Osamu Ueda and Donald Jenkins, Princeton University Press, 1994, p. `229, fn. 2. This style remained popular for decades and can often be seen in prints by Utamaro, Toyokuni I and others. This detail is from a print by Eishi.
Toshidama	年玉としだま	New Year's gift:
Toshikoshi soba	年越蕎麦としこしそば	"Year-crossing" soba 1
Tōuchiwa	唐団扇とううちわ	A T'ang Dynasty fan shape. Very similar in shape to the gumbai (軍配 or ぐんばい) or war paddle which was also carried in sumo by the umpire. The example to the left is from a print by Shigenobu. Above is a detail from a print by Sadakage. To see this image in context click on his name. As yet we do not know what the text says.
Toyohara Kunichika	豊原国周とよはらくにちか	Artist 1835-1900
Tsuba	鍔つば	Sword guard. The hole in the center is referred to as a nakagoana (茎孔 or なかごあな) because it holds the tang (茎) of the sword. Tsuba were generally made of steel, but other metals and alloys were used too. The tsuba prevents the users hand from slipping onto the blade and offers some protection in combat. "The weight of the guard also functions to bring the sword's center of gravity closer to the handle of the sword, adding 'balance' and force to a blow, and reducing fatigue to the wrist." The earliest known tsubas date from the Nara period (奈良時代 or ならじだい) of 710-794. Quoted from: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, vol. 8, p. 108, entry by Walter Ames Compton.
Tsubaki	椿つばき	Camellia japonica: Lafcadio Hearn tells us that the Japanese "...believed in trees inhabited by malevolent beings,—goblin trees. Among other weird trees, the beautiful tsubaki (Camellia Japonica) was said to be an unlucky tree;—this was said, at least, of the red-flowering variety, the white-flowering kind having a better reputation and being prized as a rarity. The large fleshy crimson flowers have this curious habit: they detach themselves bodily from the stem, when they begin to fade; and they fall with an audible thud. To old Japanese fancy the falling of these heavy red flowers was like the falling of human heads under the sword; and the dull sound of their dropping was said to be like the thud made by a severed head striking the ground. Nevertheless the tsubaki seems to have been a favorite in Japanese gardens because of the beauty of its glossy foliage; and its flowers were used for the decoration of alcoves. But in samurai homes it was a rule never to place tsubaki-flowers in an alcove during war-time."
A goblin tsubaki is known as a furu tsubaki (古椿 or ふるつばき)or "Old tsubaki". Young tsubaki start out innocent. These is true of other goblin trees like the willow and énoki, too. The severed head seen above was contributed by Yoshitoshi. I added the pool of blood. The tsubaki flower is shown courtesy of the site run by Shu Suehiro http://www.botanic.jp/index.htm. A site well worth visiting. This particular camellia is from the yabu tsubaki (藪椿 or やぶつばき).

Tsubone mise	局見世つぼねみせ	A low class brothel.
I have eaten in four star restaurants and I have eaten in dives. I have even eaten at MacDonald's a time or two or three or more. I mention this because most people will understand the distinctions between these establishments. They are enormous. The differences between a dish with truffles and armagnac and MacDonald's secret sauce are like the differences between a sip of Chateau Yquem and a swig of Ripple. This is a truism even for the Japanese pleasure seekers in the 18th and 19th centuries. There were high class brothels and there were low class ones like the tsubone mise. The qualities between the women who served in these houses could not have been greater. If one wanted a four star treatment one had to pay for it. But one could even go a little lower than the woman of the tsubone mise. "One important factor in the Yoshiwara's transformation of the first half of the eighteenth century was the competition imposed by neighboring Edo. The city of Edo was host to hordes of prostitutes ranging from relatively expensive 'gold cats,' 'silver cats,' and 'singing nuns,' to the low-class 'boat tarts'....and finally the 'night hawks' who operated in the open air." Quoted from: Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan, by Cecilia Segawa Seigle, University of Hawaii Press, 1993, p. 128. One last note: Year ago I saw the low caste prostitutes Seigle calls 'boat tarts' referred to as 'boat dumplings'. Either term conveys the idea nicely except that the latter sounds more W.C. Fieldish.

Tsuchigumo	土蜘つちぐも	"The Earth Spider" - a subject of Noh and Kabuki theater 1
Tsuitate	衝立ついたて	A free-standing single-panel screen. *The image to the left is print by Koryusai from the 1770s. It shows a mother (?) and child playing by running around a tsuitate.* To see a clearer and larger image of this print click on the number to the right. 1
Tsuji-gimi	辻君つじぎみ	The lowest class of prostitute.
Timothy Clark in the great Utamaro catalogue says that tsuji-gimi literally means "crossroads girl." This confounds me. Clark's understanding of Japanese is light years beyond anything I would ever hope to reach, but my reading of these two characters would be - using Nelson - "crossroads mister." ('Crossroads' could also be read as 'street corners.') Perhaps this is completely explicable in the same sense as a beckoner who says 'Hey sailor.' The 'mister' here is a reference to the 'john' and not the whore herself. **Tsuji-gimi can also be referred to as yotaka (夜鷹 or よたか) which translates as nighthawk or street walker.** Years ago, many years ago, I read that the lowest rank of unlicensed prostitutes were often called 'boat dumplings.' Often women who had outlived their prime as courtesans - and that could be a very few short years - were lost as to what to do. Many of them tried to eke out a living by the only thing they really knew how to do well. Since traditionally many red-light districts were located near waterways hence the appellation 'boat dumplings.'

Tsuka	柄つか	The hilt or handgrip of a sword.
Tsukimi	月見つきみ	*Moon viewing: Traditionally this was celebrated on jūgoya* (十五夜 or じゅうごや) or the 15th day of the eighth month.**
"The Japanese adopted the Chinese custom of setting out melons, green soybeans, and fruits in the garden as offering to the moon on this day. Jūgoya is considered to be the 'harvest moon' and is an occasion for thanksgiving and partying. Sprays of susuki (eulalia) are displayed on the veranda and tiny skewered dumplings (dango) and vegetables are offered to the moon. It is said that displaying susuki, which resembles the rice plant, will ensure a good harvest." "Moon viewing is a common theme in Japanese poetry... It ranks with snow viewing and hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) as the three most favored settings for declarations of love and poetic outpourings of the soul." Quotes from: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, vol. 5, p. 248, entry by Inokuchi Shōji.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi	月岡芳年つきおか.よしとし	Artist 1839-1892 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Tsuno	角つの	Antlers or horn motif: Dower believed that antlers were chosen for designs originally because of their symmetry. However, during the period of feudal warfare they were adopted by various families as their crest or mon because of their martial nature. Source: The Elements of Japanese Design, by John W. Dower, p. 88.
Tsunokakushi	角隠しつのかくし	A bridal headdress. Literally a 'horn cover' it is meant to cover the horns of jealousy. Jealous women were said to grow horns and become devils. Hence the headdress is said to remind women to fight off feelings. Timothy Clark notes that the tsunokakushi was worn "...to protect [a woman's] hair from the dust of travel..." during a bridal journey.
Tsurieda	吊り枝つりえだ	Hanging branches: "...decorative borders of artificial flowers or branches suspended over the stage (from the hiōi) in dance plays..." Sometimes cherry blossoms are displayed. At other times it is maple leaves or pine branches. Source and quote: New Kabuki Encyclopedia: A Revised Adaptation of kabuki jiten, compiled by Samuel L. Leiter, 1997, p. 669. There are numerous prints which have sold or are presently offering which prominently display tsurieda. The image detail to the left is from a diptych by Kunitsuna. To see the full print click on the number one to the right. For other examples click on the other numbers. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Tsuru	鶴つる	The crane has a rich history among the Japanese and Chinese. Often associated with the pine, bamboo and tortoise the crane has come to symbolize longevity. It also was a vehicle for certain Taoist immortals. On the left are two of many variations of the crane motif used for both family crests or, as in the case of the origami example on the bottom, merely decorative design. If you look carefully you will occasionally find origami birds decorating the kimonos of women and children in ukiyo prints. Source: The Elements of Japanese Design, by John W. Dower, p. 88.
Tsuru	弦つる	Tsuru is an archer's bowstring. In "The Tale of Genji" in chapter 4 the prince has taken his most recent infatuation away from her lodgings to a dilapidated and eerie structure. Spooked by their new surroundings Genji orders his guards to strum their bowstrings. "Have my man twang his bowstring and keep crying warnings." In footnote 43 Royall Tyler explains that this practice was "To repel the baleful spirit." As one of his attendants was leaving him "The young man disappeared toward the steward's quarters, expertly twanging his bowstring (he belonged to the Palace Guards) and crying over and over again, 'Beware of Fire!'" Footnote 44: "An all-purpose warning cry." Source and quotes: The Tale of Genji, translated by Royall Tyler, vol. 1, p. 67. In section 56 of Sei Shōnagon's 'Pillow Book' entitled 'The Roll-Call of the Senior Courtiers' the author wrote: "As soon as the roll-call is finished one hears the loud footsteps of the Imperial Guards of the Emperor's Private Office, who come out while twanging their bowstrings." I find it interesting that both contemporaries, Sei Shōnagon and Murasaki Shikibu, bother to mention the twanging of the bowstrings. Obviously it was a well known and important ritual act in the late 10th century. Quoted from: The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon, translated by Ivan Morris, Penguin Books, 1979, p. 76. James Hepburn listed meigen [鳴弦 or めいげん] in his Japanese-English dictionary as "Twanging a bow-string to keep off evil spirits." This is still practiced during Setsubun (節分 or せつぶん) which marks the end of Winter. Beans are tossed because they are considered particularly effective in driving away demons.
Some musings: The tsuru is the same word used for archery as for that of musical instruments. So, the connection between the twanging of the warriors bowstring to ward off evil and the mystical power of music to perform wonders is only reasonable. Orpheus (オルペウス), the son of the muse Calliope (カリオペ - ), according to Ovid (オヴィッド), used his talents to control the world about him. When set upon by the Ciconian women one of them threw a great stone at him. "...as it hurtled [through the air the stone] was overcome in midair by the harmony of voice and lyre and fell prone at his feet like a suppliant apologizing for so furious an assault." Pythagoras (ﾋﾟﾀｺﾞﾗｽ) of Samos (c. 580-496 B.C.) saw a direct connection between music and math. His conclusions often mystical were also grounded in logic and fact. Pythagoras is quoted as having said that "There is geometry in the humming of the strings... there is music in the spacing of the spheres." There's music in the sighing of a reed; There's music in the rushing of a rill; There's music in all things, if men had ears; Their earth is but an echo of the spheres. (Lord Byron - バイロン卿) There are numerous other examples of the controlling powers of music in both the East and the West: Odysseus (オデユッセウス) and the Sirens (サイレン), invocating chants like the Om mani padme..., the Pied Piper of Hamlin (ハメルンの笛吹き?), etc. But there is one from my childhood which strikes a particular chord, the Buster Brown Show. The host would say: "Pluck your magic twanger Froggy" and a puff of smoke would appear along with Froggy himself. What happened after that is a haze for me, but I think they sang and danced while I sat there slack-jawed and wide-eyed. There obviously wasn't much separating my beliefs from that of Genji's at the time. One more thought: The strings of the harp are often related to conceptualizations of heaven in the Christian West. In European paintings (King) David is often shown playing a harp, a Greek instrument and probably an anachronism, casting his glances skyward. The symbolism is absolutely clear. In The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon on p. 342 footnote 392 Ivan Morris noted that "During the course of each of the night watches an officer would strum his bowstring to keep away evil spirits; then, after naming himself, he would announce the time in a stentorian voice." This spurred me to do further research and the to look into the use of noise making as a form of magic. In Shinto: (the Way of the Gods) by William George Aston published by Longmans, Green and Co. in 1905 on page 335 the author notes made by "shaking or jingling talismans..." In the next paragraph he adds: "Part of the outfit of a district wise-woman or sorceress in recent times was a small bow, called adzusa-yumi, by twanging which she could call from the vasty deep the spirits of the dead, or even summon deities to her behests. Another small bow, called ha-ma-yumi (break-demon-bow) [破魔弓 or はまゆみ] is given to boys at the New Year." In ancient times,during the tsuina (追儺 or ついな) ceremony or 'bean tossing' meant to drive out demons at the New Year, a fellow would dress up at court as demon and young men would shoot arrows at him using peach wood bows. Perhaps the twanging of the bow came to act as a warning. It certainly saved searching for or wasting a lot of arrows. Peach wood staves were used for oni-yarahi (鬼やらひ) or 'demon-expelling'. Aston also notes on page 189 that the peach wood came to stand for the male element and hence was thought of as phallic.

Tsuru-bishi	鶴菱つるびし	Nakamura family crest of a crane (in a lozenge, sometimes.) 1
Tsurugi	剣つるぎ	Sword motif used in many different combinations with other symbols/images such as the sun, plants and butterflies to give a more martial sense to each image.
Tsurukusa	蔓草つるくさ	A vine or creeper: Often used as a decorative motif on paintings, kimonos, etc.
Tsuruya Kokei	弦屋光渓つるや.こうけい	Artist - Born 1946 1
Tsuruya Namboku V	鶴屋南北つるや.なんぼく	Major dramatist 1796-1852 1
Tsuyazumi	艶墨つやずみ	Glossy black: More than one layer of a high quality black ink mixed with animal glue or nikawa (膠 or にかわ) is laid down. Once printed the surface is burnished with a piece of ivory or something similar until that area is shiny. This technique is most often used on hair, fabrics, lacquer, armor, etc.
Tsuyukusa	露草つゆくさ	Day flower or "rainy season plant" from which aigami is made 1
Tsuzumi	鼓つづみ	"A traditional hourglass-shaped drum; it consists of two leather skins each sewn onto an iron ring larger in diameter than the drum body, then laced with ropes onto the lacquered wooden drum." Several such instruments were introduced into Japan prior to the Nara period (710-794). Frequently used in Noh and Kabuki theater. "...played with the right hand and fingers..." Quoted from: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, vol. 8, p. 119-20, entry by Kojima Tomiko. The detail to the left is from a print by Natori Shunsen. To the left we had added graphics for three different crests using the tsuzumi motif. John W. Dower noted that drums were "Not introduced as a design motif until late in the feudal period..." Quote from: The Elements of Japanese Design, by John W. Dower, p 110. The one below is from a Kunisada print showing a family crest on the headband being worn by an actor playing a role. It is an interesting variation on the drum motif because it looks like an hourglass or one of those early European stools which were meant for sitting. However, here it is shown with an organic element surrounding it.